


Anything Beautiful

by em_the_gem



Series: small town 'verse [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Florist!Alec, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Photographer!Magnus, Slow Pace, small town AU, this is basically a story about finding home and following your dreams
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-02-05 03:19:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 40,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12785802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/em_the_gem/pseuds/em_the_gem
Summary: Alec Lightwood is a small town florist with big dreams of opening his own shop. Magnus Bane is a big city photographer a desire to reinvent his craft. Alec gets by with his simple life full of routine and a boss to please, but when a storm brings Magnus into his life, everything he has ever dreamt of seems to crumble.And while both men have lead completely different lives, they have more in common than they initially thought: everything nature and anything beautiful.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big warm thank you to a special bunch who helped with the final touches of this very first chapter of my very fist multi-chaptered work _ever_ :
> 
> Isa, who helped with the gorgeous moodboard that goes along with this fic on tumblr. All my thanks and gratitude!
> 
> Dia, who helped with the title. One we both sounded better than the original. Thank you!
> 
> and last but not least Jay who helped beta this chapter. I'm forever grateful for your help!
> 
> Without further ado, the first chapter of **_Anything Beautiful_** :

_Just for a minute_  
_The silver forked sky_  
_Lit you up like a star_  
_That I will follow_

\- The Lightning Strike, Snow Patrol

* * *

 

The sound of a single bird chirping woke Alec from a deep sleep and it took him a while to figure out what day it was. His eyelids were heavy as he eventually managed to open them. The bedroom window was slightly open as to let in the fresh air of the early dawn and the earthy smells of the woods in his backyard. The light that shone in through the creaks of the curtain ushered in a foggy day and the wind in the trees outside whispered of yet another cold morning.

He had woken before his alarm and soon enough it started ringing, signaling the beginning of his day and he drew away the comfort of his blankets and stepped out onto the chill wooden floors. As he sleep drunkenly stumbled through his bedroom, through the kitchen and into the open space living room, he kneeled in front of the woodburning stove and began to light a fire to warm up the cottage he lived in.

The cottage was old, but the last owners had been an elderly couple who had spent a fortune fixing the place and redesigning and redecorating in into something very modern and very Scandinavian minimalistic in style.

He had no idea how he’d ended up living in this place, because it must have cost a fortune. But when he had moved to town about a year ago, the elderly couple had recently passed away and had left the cottage as city property. Alec had spent the last of his college savings and had taken a loan in the bank to call this place his own.

And he loved it. He loved how it was far away from the small town he worked in, yet not further away that he could easily bike when the weather allowed it in the summer. He loved that his nearest neighbor lived a mile away, yet he never felt alone. He loved that he got to wake up to the sound of animals and the smell of the woods. He loved the big windows in his living room that gave a full display of the trees in his backyard and the outline of the mountains in the back.

With the fire crackling and the cottage slowly heating up, he felt more awake and began dressing himself for his usual morning run.

 

A 5k done and 20 minutes later he was in the shower, lungs burning and muscles sore from the strain and the fast pace. He let the warm water massage the muscles on his back and rubbed his face. The week old stubble scratched his hands, but he didn’t care to do anything about it.

The bathroom mirror was covered in steam and with his hand he wiped it dry and looked at himself. Sure, his stubble was getting darker and thicker by the day and his hair had gotten longer than he ever remembered it being in his childhood, but overall it wasn’t a stranger looking back at him.

He stared at his eyes and found them greener today than they were yesterday and smirked at the wonders of hazel eyes. He cast a glimpse on the tattoo on his neck and smiled sentimentally at the fond memory of the first time he’d gotten truly wasted with Jace on a trip to Atlanta City.

They had both come up with the idea of getting a tattoo by the end of the night, and while Jace had chosen a spot that could easily be covered, Alec had chosen a spot that at the moment signaled ‘ _I don’t have anything to hide_ ’.

And so the intricate pattern that covered a little part of his neck was a permanent reminder of the weekend he’d decided to stand up to his parents, drop out of business school and come out as a gay man.

He got dressed and ate his breakfast in silence with the occasional branch knocking on a window or the crackle of the fire. The open space living room and kitchen had been warmed up while he was out for his run, and it was easy to pretend that the cottage was filled with life.

Reality was different as his siblings lived in New York while still in school, and his parents were miles away doing whatever politicians did nowadays in Washington DC.

Alec liked this little town and he felt at home. The thought of home made his stomach churn with an unpleasant feeling and the thought ‘ _stop pretending_ ’ nudged his brain.

He sighed before picking up his car keys, locked up the cottage and went to his car. The brown leaves under his feet crunched loudly, he filled his lungs with the smell of the mountain air and got in his car.

 

The drive into town was a short one, and suddenly he was standing in front of the shop. Not his shop, not yet at least. It was one his dreams to one day own a shop like this. He liked his job and liked the people he worked with, yet he felt as if something was missing.

Unlocking the door Alec was greeted with the sweet humid smell that screams flowers and plants.

He got started by putting the sign out and a variety of this seasons flower and plants were put outside, while the flowers that didn’t belong in the chill October air was kept inside. He began watering the flowers that needed to be watered, he fed the turtle they had in a basin in the corner of the shop and he plucked dead leaves off of plants to make them more presentable.

He turned on the radio that was his only source to what happened in the city and the world around him when it came to music and news. In a town like this it was easy to get lost in time, and sometimes it felt like he was living in his own private bubble of contentment.

The bell above the door rang and signaled that a customer had entered the shop. Alec was not one bit surprised when it turned out to be one of the regulars. It was an elderly lady with white puffy hair who always wore a long coat and a scarf around her head.

“What can I get for you today Mrs. Wright?” he asked politely as he walked around the desk to greet her properly. She smiled toothy at him and chuckled as he led her to the selection of flowers, some were new and some were the usual they had.

“You know how I am about change my boy, the usual will do just fine but it’s sweet of you to ask every time,” she grinned as Alec started to pick the flowers she normally chose.

Every time it was the same; a bouquet of white tulips for her to put on the gravesite of her husband. It was a sweet gesture, but Alec couldn’t help but think that the lady wasted money doing it.

He collected them in a neat bouquet and tied it together and wrapped it up in paper and together they walked to the cashier while she talked a little about her morning. How her poodle Pod had woken her at 4 am because " _as you know, she senses something all the time"_.

“They say there’s a storm coming. I think it’s what Pod sensed this morning. She’s usually never sensitive to storms, but I think there’s something different about this one,” the old lady pondered as Alec accepted the cash she reached him.

He sent her a reassuring smile and went to open the door for her. “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about, Mrs. Wright. You have a good day, and tell Pod I’ll bring him a treat if he comes to visit me.”

At Alec’s comment, the old lady chuckled with laughter and left the store with the white tulips in her arms.

Alec shook his head and let his mind wander to the peculiar people that lived in the town.

 

When he’d first moved here people had given him a strange look because he was a single man.

“ _Single men don’t move to small towns for no reason_ ,” the city had whispered behind his back. But it hadn’t been long before the town had opened their arms for him and welcomed him in. He’d been invited to various town gatherings such as the Thanksgiving feast, the Christmas tree lighting, New Years services in the local church and more.

Closing the door after Mrs. Wright his eyes fell on the building across the street. The big ‘for sale’ sign put a smile on his face as he imagined himself buying the place. The front of the shop was open with big floor-to-ceiling windows and a glass door.

Alec imagined how broad daylight would flow in and open up the place even more. He imagined the green light that would be a permanent presence, as the light would hit the plants and color the store. He imagined how he could give in to his imagination and creativity, and he could create flower arrangements he would spend his present days coming up with. He imagined owning something to call _his_ and finally feel like everything would be in place.

The rest of the day went by quickly and to Alec’s surprise the only thing the townspeople seemed to talk about was this storm. “ _It’s coming in from New York_ ,” said one customer. “ _I’ve heard they’ve lost power for a few hours even. Can you imagine? New York City without power_!” said another.

Alec thought of his siblings and made a mental note to get in touch with Izzy later tonight to hear of their well being.

He continued to greet the customers with a smile, making sure to stay friendly as to make them feel comfortable and helped. A good day for the store was 20 or so customers and while that might not seem like a lot, it was the usual and Alec liked the routine of it.

 

As he closed off the store that afternoon a little before 5pm he went outside and saw the storm that they’d all been talking about. It was right above them and he heard the faint rumble of thunder.

He carried plants and flowers inside, signs were put away and as he stepped out to close the door, a black car came riding down the street and stopped in front of the empty shop across the street.

He’d seen cars like this before, and for a short minute he thought his parents had come for a surprise visit.

That was until a door opened and a man stepped out and went for the ‘for sale’ sign, tore it off the window and bended it over his knee and handed it to the driver of the car who had stepped out to empty the trunk. Three large black suitcases were stood in front of the door and he saw the man hand the driver a handsome amount of money.

The man was dressed in a pair of dark pants and a long black coat, that flailed wildly around his legs as the wind had picked up and tore in the coat.

Alec’s heart dropped to his stomach, and cold dread flew through his veins, when he saw the man pull out a set of keys and unlocked the glass door into the shop. He must have felt Alec’s gaze on him, because he turned around and their eyes from locked across the street.

And that’s when the first lightning stroke and hit the road between them, and the skies opened up and rain started pouring.

 

* * *

 

“I still don’t know why you’re doing this, Magnus,” said a voice behind him and he spun around to see Catarina leaning in the doorway, arms across her chest and a frown on her face.

He hadn’t expected to see her because he figured she would be stuck at work, working double shifts as she usually did. He was happy to see her, but it also made his heart ache. He would miss her dearly. Having been friends for a long time, it was difficult for him to imagine his life without seeing her every other day.

“I’ve told you why I’m doing this, stop saying you don’t,” he told her with a fond smile as she came towards him. He was hunched over a half packed suitcase, trying to remember what it was he was missing.

“I know why, I just don’t understand. You say you want to ‘ _reinvent yourself through your arts’_ , but that you could do just as easily here in New York. We have parks, you know,” she said pointedly and in return receiving a fond glare from Magnus.

“Is this about Camille?” she rested a gentle hand on his arm as he turned towards her. He sighed and let out a silent laugh.

“This is not about Camille. I’ve been over her for a long time,” he reassured his friend who had a concerned look on her face. “And I know that New York has parks, but when I say nature I don’t mean the lake in Central Park or the skating rink in Bryant Park. I mean actual mountains with icy tops, trees in every color, water as far as the eye can see-“

“Okay, I get it,” Catarina interrupted. She saw the hunger for adventure in his eyes and knew there was nothing she could do.

“And when Luke said there was a shop that had been vacant for a while _with_ an apartment in, how could I say no? You’ve seen the pictures he e-mails from that place. It’s _wonderful_ ,” Magnus gushed as he started pacing his almost empty apartment, looking for things to pack.

He came across a figurine he’d picked up on one of his travels and as he held it in his hand, a sad smile grew on his face. He would miss the opportunity to travel the world and meeting interesting people, but he needed to this for himself, for his craft. He looked around in his apartment and sighed heavily.

“I’ll miss this place,” he mumbled mostly to himself but Catarina came to stand next to him, nodding and pulled an arm around his shoulders. He drew an arm around her as well and hugged her sideways.

He looked at the now empty walls and remembered how pictures he’d taken had hung on them. He could see the nails where he had hung pieces of art that had been gifted to him by other photographers. He clenched the figurine and took a deep breath to stop tears from falling. He shook his head and looked at Catarina who had tears in her eyes.

“Everything will be just fine, my dearest Catarina,” he mumbled reassuringly into her hair as he pulled her into a proper hug. “You have that new girlfriend to take care of you, and the constant shifts. You won’t even notice I’m gone!”

“Don’t say that!” came her frail voice muffled from where her head was buried in his shoulder. She pulled away and wiped the tears under her eyes. “I’ll think about you everyday. I’ll think of you when I see people on the street making funny faces, or whenever I see tourists with cameras. I’ll always think of you.”

Tears threatened to flow over, as he silently laughed at her attempt of sounding frustrated. He pulled her in for yet another hug and did not feel like letting go, not yet.

“And I you,” was all he could say as they stood in the other’s embrace, reluctant to let go of the warmth and comfort of friendship.

 

Later when Magnus had finished packing and they had said their goodbyes, Catarina stood in the doorway, hugging herself and watched as Magnus stood by the car that would take him to his new home.

The storm that had been raging through the city was finally moving on and moving up north. Catarina’s girlfriend Dot had said that the storm was a sign of change. Magnus had huffed at that and agreed half-jokingly.

Casting a last glimpse of the brown brick building that had been his home the past 4 years, and looking at Catarina as she stood there in the doorway still in her uniform it was easy to pretend that he was just going away for the weekend for a summit, when in reality he was going away for a much longer time. Exactly how long, he didn’t know. The contract he’d signed didn’t have an end date and so he had decided to take every day as it came.

Sitting back in the black leather seat, he rolled down his window to wave at Catarina who once again wiped her eyes. He kept waving until she was out of sight and they’d left the familiar neighborhood of Brooklyn. He leaned back in his seat and watched as the city disappeared behind him.

“It’s going to be a long drive, Mr. Bane. Let me know if you need anything,” said the driver once they’d gotten on the freeway going north.

He could see the mountains in the distance and when he closed his eyes he remembered how the mountain air had smelled that one time in Austria, and the time he’d gone to Bhutan for a spread of the native tribes that lived in the mountains.

He smiled and felt giddy excitement spread throughout his body yet the constant sound of the car tires against the concrete, and the almost unnoticeable rocking of the car, lulled him to sleep.

 

He woke again just as they exited the freeway and the mountains had grown taller. The light outside had faded as thick gray clouds hung above them, hiding the icy tips of the mountains.

The giddy excitement returned and he leaned forward in his seat and cleared his throat. The clock in the car told him that it was a little after four in the afternoon.

“Will we be arriving soon?” he asked, his voice thick with sleep as he suppressed a yawn. His nap still lingered in his limbs and his eyelids felt heavy.

“Not for another hour, Mr. Bane,” the driver responded with a quick glance in the rearview mirror.

“I could really use some fresh air and a reason to stretch my legs. Maybe we could pull in for a minute or two? You look like you could use a break as well,” Magnus gestured at his stiff arms and figured he’d been asleep for at least 2 hours. The driver nodded and soon after he pulled into a small parking lot at the side of the road.

He quickly undid the seatbelt and stepped out of the car only to be met with roaring wind and cold air. Somehow it didn’t bother him all that much that the wind tore in his coat, because the smell of the mountains and the trees and the nature was overwhelming.

Before shutting the door, he grabbed his camera from his bag and slung it across his shoulder and stepped away from the car. The road was less trafficked here, and he figured it would only be lesser the further into the mountainous terrain they got.

He took a few big gulps of breath and felt how the cold air scratched his throat and filled his lungs. He turned on his camera, relaxed his shoulders and peeked through the lens to find a great motif.

The repeated clicks of a lighter broke his concentration and he looked up from his camera to see the driver trying to ignite fire for his cigarette. Even with his back to the direction of where the wind was coming from, and a hand cupped around the lighter it was near impossible for him to get a spark.

Magnus chuckled silently as the driver let out an annoyed huff and in an irritated movement threw the unlit cigarette to the ground, reached into his inner chest pocket and drew out a pack of nicotine gum.

“You should have told me you were a smoker, and we could have stopped somewhere less windy,” Magnus said as he turned off his camera. He’d shot a few pictures, but in this lighting it was difficult to tell if they were any good.

“It’s all good, sir. I’m trying to quit. It’s not good for the baby,” the driver shrugged and leaned against the car, rolling his shoulders and stretching his neck.

“Please, call me Magnus. You’ve probably heard my snores. There’s no need for formality,” he reached out his hand and the driver took it with a blinding smile.

“David. You have any family?” he asked as he leaned back again, looking at the horizon where gray stormy clouds gathered and drew closer.

Magnus didn’t mind personal questions from people he had just met. It was an occupational hazard that came when traveling the world. For a long time he’d lived on the road with only his camera bag and a few personal items with him. We would meet people from all over the world who would ask questions about him and whom he was and he did traveling alone in the outskirts of the world. He had makeshift families in Europe, Asia, South America and most importantly New York.

“I do, yes,” he put his hands in his pockets, and as his phone buzzed with an incoming call, he excused himself and stepped away for some privacy. His face lit up when he read _Luke_ across his screen

“Luke, hello,” he greeted

“ _Magnus! It’s good to hear your voice. Listen, how far are you?”_

 

Luke had called to give him instructions as to where to find the keys for his new place and told him that he would stop by to help him settle in. When Magnus had first thought of moving from New York, Luke had been the first he had called knowing that he would understand. Luke himself had moved from the city to start a life as the town mayor, something he was looking forward to as he found that the police was not his calling.

The rest of the drive into to town was smooth even though the storm gained power and Magnus swore he saw lightning in the distance. They picked up the key at the realtor’s office and David drove him all the way to shop.

As they drove down Main Street a smile crept onto his face when he saw the quirky little shops on either side of the street. Trees covered in fairy lights lit up its surroundings with a warm orange glow and Magnus could almost feel the warmth radiating from it.

The car pulled up in front of an empty shop with floor-to-ceiling windows, lights reflecting in the glass, as it was getting darker and darker by the minute. Magnus’ eyes fell on the ‘for sale’ sign and he stepped out of the car to tear it down, bending it across his knee.

And that’s when he felt it. The hairs on the nape of his neck stood as a shiver ran down his spine. Electricity filled the air, thick and crushing, as he turned around on the spot. A man stood across the street from him, frozen in place in front of a hand painted sign that read ‘ _Flora Kimberly_ ’.

The man’s burning gaze, and the electricity in the air, made him straighten up to get rid of the tense sensation that had settled in his back.

Their eyes met across the street and Magnus was surprised to find harshness in the seemingly gentle face they belonged to. Time slowed down and he took the man in. Tall with long legs and broad shoulders, dressed in a gray knit sweater, dark jeans and hiking boots, dark hair sticking out from underneath a beanie and a scruff covering his jaw framing plump lips.

And then lightning struck making the ground beneath his feet shake and the shaking reverberated all the way to his chest, setting something he’d long forgotten loose. And he wondered what more this town would bring him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter updates will be on Sundays! 
> 
> If you have comments, praise or thoughts please don't hesitate to come say hi on tumblr: [ oneofmanyjonathans ](https://oneofmanyjonathans.tumblr.com/)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we meet Simon, Luke and Alec's boss, the young but experienced Kimberly!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all who left comments on the previous chapter, it means a lot!
> 
> Once again thanks to [Jay](http://softmagnusbane.tumblr.com/) for beta-ing

_Clenched teeth, no words_  
_All this distance taking its toll_  
_Speaking volumes_  
_Silence screaming over your words_

\- Start Over, Imagine Dragons

* * *

 

The next morning Alec’s usual morning run hadn’t been enough to wake him. He had laid sleepless for the most part of the night because of the raging storm and because of the unsettling feelings in his stomach and the thoughts racing through his brain. Anger and hurt mixed with curiosity and something he couldn’t name.

He knew the anger was unreasonable but it was easier to focus on than the way his heart had picked up its pace at the sight of the stranger. He knew he had no claim on the store because not once had he shared his visions and dreams with anyone but his sister.

Still, Alec couldn’t help but feel hopeless and helpless and quite frankly a little frustrated when he thought back to what had happened the previous evening. The image of the man tearing away the ‘for sale’ sign kept replaying in his mind, causing his body to go numb and sour fury to well up in his stomach.

Going about the rest of his morning routine in a daze, he quickly found himself ready with almost an hour to spare before his shift started. 

So he decided to head out earlier than usual to stop by Simon’s coffee shop and tank up on some caffeine in addition to dropping off the copy of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five he’d promised the other man.

 

Driving down the road lined with thick yellow-brown woods on each side, his mind drifted to the day ahead. Coffee at Simon’s, put in orders for delivery, bring home groceries. He would have added ‘building on business plan’ to his mental list, but that seemed out of the question as of last night.

When he stepped into the warmth of Simon’s coffee shop, he pulled off his beanie and ran a hand through his hair. The smell of cinnamon and nutmeg swirled in the air to the sound of music from the radio and coffee beans grinding, which was oddly soothing and Alec felt his shoulders relax gradually. Simon stood with his back to Alec, clearly engaged in a conversation with another customer, as his hand gestures were wild and wide.

Alec put the book on the counter and cleared his throat to make his presence known. He heard Simon excuse himself as Alec took in the selection of cakes and danishes on the counter.

“Hey Alec! What can I get for ya today?” Simon sounded just at chipper as always, and in any other circumstance Alec would have been affected by the joy he radiated, responding in kind. However, today was an exception, today it made him roll his eyes and sigh.

“The usual, with a double shot, please,” he said without looking up at the other man, eyes still settled on the display.

“Did the storm keep you up too?” Simon asked as he went about making the order right away.

“Something like that,” was all he managed to mumble before Simon continued. He was used to Simon continuing his stream of words, even if Alec was hardly paying attention.

“Same here, man. I’ve been up since four this morning. I was worried the roof would blow away. You know how Bubbie’s garage gets during storms like this.”

Alec nodded in response, faintly aware that he was being watched. Simon had come to town to live with his grandmother in between studies and had gotten this job, solely because of his grandmother’s recipes for cinnamon buns.

“But I’m not the one to feel sorry for. Magnus here has been awake all night,” Simon’s voice sounded close to him and he looked up to see him stand with his order in an outstretched hand. Alec met his eyes with a confused look and was about to ask who this Magnus was, when he saw the customer who Simon had been talking to when he had entered.

The man from yesterday sat at the opposite counter with a mug and plate with a half eaten cinnamon bun. The man - Magnus - straightened his back as they locked eyes, and Alec half expected lightning to strike like it had yesterday but there was nothing but silence.

Magnus shot him a friendly smile and nodded in recognition, and for a moment Alec was frozen. He didn’t know why, but knowing that Simon knew this man before he did made the pit of anger in his stomach growl. A low, hissing voice in his mind asked what was going on to which Alec internally shrugged.

“Oh sweet! Is that the book we talked about?” Simon pulled him out of his thoughts and Alec looked at him confused until he realized he was pointing to the book on the desk.

Simon’s eyes shone with joy through his tortoise shell glasses. He was a good looking man, a little younger than Alec, tall with curly brown hair. Izzy had called him ‘nerd hot’ once Alec had sent her a picture of him because “you must have someone you call a friend, Alec” and Simon had been the one who came closest to that description. Ever since then, Simon had been a little too interested in his sister.

Alec had yet to find his voice, eyes darting back and forth from Simon to Magnus who had not moved his gaze, so he just nodded. Simon grabbed the book and went out back, muttering under his breath.

Alec and Magnus were left alone with only the sound of the radio breaking the silence. Alec felt his shoulders tensing up at the prospect of having to carry a conversation with the other.  
Still feeling Magnus’ gaze on him, Alec fiddled with his wallet, trying to remember how much the coffee was, until he pulled out a five-dollar bill and figured it would be enough.

“Alec was it?” the voice was warm and friendly, curious and asking. Alec’s eyes fixed on Magnus and took him in. Gentle warm eyes rimmed with a faint hint of black eyeliner, black hair with deep red streaks that almost matched the turtleneck sweater he was wearing.

“Yes. I’m Alec,” he said with a nod and looked at Magnus who had gotten up from his seat and was in the middle of putting on his coat. He gathered his scarf and a set of keys off the counter and went towards him. With an outstretched hand and an inviting smile on his face he stood in front of him making it impossible for Alec to move around him and avoid having to greet him properly. He took his hand and shook it firmly and short before letting go. “Welcome to town.”

“Thank you Alec,” Magnus said smiling wider. “Now Alec, is that short for Alexander?” to that question Alec eyed him suspiciously and nodded briefly.

“I’m Magnus. Magnus Bane. It’s nice to meet you,” he said as he started to put on his scarf, eyes never leaving Alec’s face and a smile never leaving his own.

“Yeah, uh I-“

“Hey Alec! Maybe you could show Magnus around town?” Simon had returned and looked like someone who had come up with a new invention. There was no limit to this boy’s happiness and sometimes it drove Alec insane.

“I have work to do Simon,” he grumbled and started moving towards the door. “It was good to meet you,” he muttered at Magnus, eyes lingering a little on his face where his smile had faltered, before exiting the coffee house and walking out into the roaring wind.

 

Once inside the flower shop he felt himself relax again and he closed the door behind him and leaned up against it for a minute to gather his thoughts. He didn’t like the way his heart beat fast or the way his cheeks were warm from something other than the weather. He knew he had acted childish and unfair towards Simon, disregarding his proposal the way he did, but he couldn’t help but feel that his anger was justified.

As he stood with his eyes closed and the back of his head resting against the cold glass door he heard a rustle from the back room and soon enough a figure with brown, wavy hair walked out with two boxes stacked up on each other.

“Kimberly, what are you doing here?” Alec’s voice must have startled her as she visibly jumped and almost dropped the boxes. He rushed to her aid and grabbed the falling box and placed on a nearby countertop.

The girl crouched down and let go of the box and kept sitting in that position with a hand over her heart. She looked up and stared at him with her mouth hanging slightly open. Her breath came out in faint white puffs in the chill of the shop.

“Kim, let it go,” Alec huffed out with slight amusement. Her flair for over dramatization was something he had needed to get used to when he first moved here, but by now he had just as he coped with Simon’s energy. Kimberly and Simon were a lot alike, but while Simon was hyper and chipper just about all the time and often talking before thinking, Alec usually found Kimberly lost in her own thoughts and thinking before talking.

“Excuse me for catching my breath, _Sir_. Jesus, you nearly gave me a heart attack. What am I doing here? I work here. We’ve worked together for the past year. I hired you, or did you forget that in my absence?” she stood up and wiped her hands in her dark, paint-stained jeans. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a serious expression until he sent her a half smile, and her face cracked into a blinding smile.

She punched his arm in a friendly greeting and started to move, nearly stumbling into the box she had just placed on the ground in front of her.

“I got an email last night about delivery running late because of the storm last night. Something about flooded roads and fallen trees,” she said waving her hands around as she spoke while checking all the flowers, picking some that had withered out and leaving others in.

“That still doesn’t explain why you’re here,” Alec said and began to remove his scarf and beanie, running a hand through his hair and scratching the nape of his neck.

Kimberly was 23 and had graduated Brown Business School at age 20 at the top of her class. She was intelligent, funny, a bit of a lunatic and had a mild case of OCD when it came to decor of the shop and flower arrangements.

She had a set of rules and when she had hired Alec the year before, she had made it clear that with the traditional mindset of the people in the town it was important for him to follow these rules if he wanted to keep working for her..

While she was his boss, Kimberly was also his friend and in the beginning they had worked together a lot and she had been a great teacher and she had been awestruck with his ability to learn quickly and bind the flowers the way she had instructed him to. Flowers and their common knowledge of business school were the things they had in common, yet conversation flowed easily between the two of them when they eventually got to work together.

Lately she had been in and out of town as her grandmother back in Boston had fallen ill, and she wanted to be there for the rest of the family as much as she possibly could while also running the shop.

“Grandma’s fine for now the doctors say, and I missed the shop,” her joyous voice drew him out of his thoughts and he looked up at her. “If there’s no delivery today I figured I could do some new arrangements and use the flowers that don’t have long to go.”

She looked at him sincerely with a smile as he turned on the thermostat for the right temperature. He felt a slight jab in his gut and swallowed a lump in his throat before speaking.

“I could have done that Kim, there was no reason for you to drive all the way here just for that,” he hated that he sounded nervous and that he didn’t look at her while he spoke. He opened the box on the countertop and stared at the Christmas decorations they held.

“I know you could. I just, you know I appreciate your help, but…”

“But you don’t trust my judgment when it comes to arranging the flowers,” he finished for her, feeling his mood waver, and finally looked at her.

“You said that, Alec. Not me,” she pointed at him with a wiggly finger, trying to lighten the heavy mood that had suddenly settled in the shop. She lowered her hand when she saw that it didn’t put a smile on his face as it usually did.

“Look Alec, you know how I am with these things, and last time wasn’t the biggest success. You’re good with the bindings and taking orders. Let’s keep it at that, okay?” she looked at him with an apologetic smile, fully aware that this was something she was in charge of and that her word was law.

He took a deep breath in and shot her a small smile and nodded. He turned his focus to getting the shop ready for opening and tuned out Kimberly’s humming.

 

He loved his job and the distraction it brought him. He loved being surrounded by flowers and the smell of plants all day. He felt comfort in the scratches and the small tears in his skin when he handled the freshly cut roses. He enjoyed the routine of watering the plants and watching them grow a little day-by-day. He felt joy when the customers he helped walked out of the shop content with the help he had provided.

However many times he told himself that this is what he was supposed to with his life, he couldn’t help but feel trapped by the set of rules that followed with his job. He couldn’t help but create flower arrangements in his head, or bind bouquets of withering flowers in ways that strayed from the ones Kimberly had showed him. The thought of owning his own shop had come to him after working for Kimberly for only a month, and the itch to create something that was _his_ only seemed to increase with every passing day.

“Did someone buy the shop across the street?” Kimberly’s voice cut him out of his thoughts and he felt a cloud forming in his mind at the reminder of his shattered dream. He looked up from the fuchsia he was watering and saw Kimberly looking out of the windows, neck stretched and hands still working on the flower arrangement.

He followed her gaze and saw that Magnus had returned from where ever he had been and was unlocking the front door. He carried a few paper bags in his arms but seemed to balance them gracefully as he pushed the door open with his hip.

“I think so,” was all he said and got back to watering.

“Who is he?” she asked again and looked over at him, eyes as wide as her smile. He shook his head and put down the watering can to turn and face her.

“I don’t know. He came last night,” his tone was abrasive and for a moment Kimberly looked hurt before she shrugged and looked back out the window. Magnus had disappeared behind the closed door and left the street empty.

 

* * *

 

By 4 am Magnus had given up on sleep and got up from the mattress Luke had lent him the evening before. He had come over with his car full of things to get him settled in and a box of pizza for them to share.

Magnus met Luke when he lived as a cop in New York, before he went on to become the mayor of this town. The position suited him well and even though he expressed that he missed New York, he had come to feel at home here amongst the mountains. That gave Magnus hope for the future. He had felt unsettled driving through the towering mountains and the rough wind that tore in the car, as they took sharp turns in the curves of the road.

Making promises to catch up and for Magnus to see his office, Luke had left him around midnight before the storm took off and rustled the windows of his small apartment.

The room he had named the bedroom had a single window that rustled violently as the wind once again roared through the mountains surrounding the city. He threw off the blanket and comforter, stepped onto the cold floor and went to the kitchen.

Luke had had a spare kettle, some leftover tea and instant coffee that he’d given to Magnus as a welcome gift.

He regretted looking at the clock that shone 4.30am in neon red as he went to sit on his mattress and listing out what to buy for his apartment that he hadn’t brought with him from New York.

The boxes with his stuff would arrive within the week and he felt a flutter of excitement at the thought of decorating his new studio. Luke had sent pictures of the place a while ago and he smiled at the thought of having his photographs displayed in the open space downstairs and lit up by the natural light that would flow in through the big floor to ceiling windows.

 

He was well into sketching a basic drawing for the use of space in the shop when his phone chimed with his six o’clock alarm. Luke had told him that the local coffee shop – Simon’s Brew – opened at six and was the best place in town to go for a caffeine fix.

Dressing in a pair of loose fit pants and a red turtleneck shirt, he remembered Luke’s word of advice about keeping the make-up to a minimum. Which was only reasonable because it looked like it was going to rain.

The weather outside had calmed slightly but the wind was still harsh. It was dark, the sun having yet to rise above the mountains, and the streets were lit up by the orange glow from the trees covered in fairy lights.

He followed the street until he stood in front of the only shop with the lights on inside and as he stepped through the front door, warmth seeped through the thin fabric of his coat and warmed him to the bones.

“I’ll be right out!” came a voice from somewhere and Magnus looked around taking in the décor of the coffee house. The counter was small with a display for cakes and pastries. There were a few tables with mismatched chairs spread out throughout the room, giving the shop a homey feel to it. On the walls hung pictures of people he had never seen before, yet Luke showed up in a few of them. He smiled to himself and went to stand by the counter.

A loud noise came from the back room followed by steam that carried traces of cinnamon. A young man came out carrying a tray of still steaming cinnamon buns and a big smile on his face. Magnus admired those early risers who looked like they’d been up for hours.

“Hello there! You’re new?” the young man placed the cakes in the display and wiped his hands in a dishtowel attached to his apron. His curly brown hair carried traces of flour in a few strands and brown eyes shone with confusion.

“Yes, I am. I’m Magnus Bane, just moved here,” Magnus said and held out his hand. The young man took it with a firm grab and shook it enthusiastically while a grin returned to his face.

“I’m Simon Lewis. Luke did mention a Magnus now that I think about it. Welcome! What can I get you this fine morning? Everything is on the house for the newcomer,” Simon smiled and went to turn on the coffee machine as Magnus ordered a double espresso.

“So what do you do Magnus?” Simon asked, the straightforwardness and usage of his first name, took him by surprise. Simon said it as if they were old friends and not someone who just met.

“I’m a photographer,” he said as he slipped into one of the barstools by the counter. He watched as Simon expertly handled the coffee machine and poured him a cup of espresso before placing it in front of him along with a freshly baked cinnamon bun.

“That’s great! Another artist in this town is just what we need,” Simon exclaimed happily as he expectantly watched Magnus bring his cup to his lips. The strong caffeine rushed through his veins and made him visibly shiver. Simon took it as an approval of his coffee making skills and went to clean the machine.

Simon started to talk about how music was his dream, but his mother had wanted him to study accounting. He had moved to live with his grandmother for a year to pursue his music, which had ended with him working in the coffee shop instead.

“I still play for fun sometimes. I do gigs at gatherings or at the church for weddings. It’s been awhile since we had a wedding actually. Oh man, you look tired. Did the storm wake you?” Simon watched him with genuine concern and went to stand in front of him again.

Magnus had finished half of his cinnamon bun, the sugary sweet making his cheeks warm up, and he could feel the effect spread through his body, making him relax a little in his seat.

“I couldn’t sleep,” he told him earnestly and chuckled at how childish it sounded.

“Oh man, I get you. When I first moved here I couldn’t sleep either. All the new sounds and the wind… I live in my grandmother’s garage, and one day I’m sure the roof will blow off,” Simon’s hand gestures were wild and kept his attention from the door that opened behind him and the tall man stepping inside.

Magnus recognized him instantly as the man he’d seen outside _Flora Kimberly_ and his fingers went numb as he remembered how lightning had struck and had shocked him to the bones.

Simon excused himself as he went to take his order.

The man wore a light brown jacket outside a gray shirt, a black scarf around his neck and a beanie covering his head and while fingerless gloves covered his hands, Magnus could tell they were gentle by the way he held the paperback in his hands.

At the sound of his own name, he broke his gaze away from the man’s hands. Magnus met his eyes and the mesmerizing hazel color struck a nerve with him. He shot the man a friendly smile and nodded to acknowledge he knew they’d seen each other the day before.

Simon had left them and Magnus had gone to properly introduce himself. The man – Alec … _Alexander_  – had shook his hand firmly and then promptly left without as much as a friendly smile and Magnus felt robbed at the chance of seeing him smile.

As Magnus watched Alec walk out of the coffee house with firm steps and a frown on his face, he couldn’t help feeling he was the reason for that.

“Don’t worry about Alec. He takes a while to get used to. Underneath the tough surface is a beating heart,” Simon said as he cleared away Magnus’ cup and plate. As Simon once again disappeared into the back room Magnus kept staring out the windows where he’d seen Alec pass. The man had struck something in him and his body was itching with impatience to get to know him.

 _Pull yourself together Magnus_ , he thought to himself and shook his head just as a familiar figure entered the shop. Luke stepped in and shook off his coat to hang across a chair.

“Magnus! I see you took my advice. Have you met Simon?” Luke held out his hand and for the third time that day he shook hands, this time, however, with a trusted friend and not a stranger.

“Such a talkative boy that one is,” Magnus said, already having grown fond of the young man. Luke chuckled in agreement and called out for Simon who appeared again, still sporting a smile and before Luke began to order Simon told him he was already on it.

“What can I say? He’s the best host,” Luke shrugged and took a seat at a table by the windows. He gestured for Magnus to sit, and with the lack of better things to do he sat down and had his second cup of coffee that morning. The sun had risen outside and the light shone in through the windows coloring the shop almost yellow.

 

They talked for about half an hour or so, continuing their conversation pointers from the previous night, before Luke had to attend a meeting at the town hall across the street. He threw a ten-dollar bill down and left Magnus with a pat on his shoulder.

Customers had come and gone in the past half hour and Simon was busy at the coffee machine making small talk and smiling with the people. Magnus drew out a bill and put it in the tip jar before leaving the coffee house.

The sun had emerged from the mountaintops and the sunlight warmed him a little through the fabric of his coat. Looking across the street and onto the town hall it didn’t look like much, merely a red-brown brick building with a single tower only two or three stories tall.

A store next to the town hall had a sign put out that signaled groceries and suddenly Magnus was reminded of the empty fridge in the empty apartment and he crossed the street and entered the store.

 

Walking down the street with his arms full of groceries, he basked in the sunlight that hit his face and breathed in the faint scent of pine trees. Balancing the groceries and unlocking the door, he could almost ignore the sensation of being watched from across the street.

Stepping in Magnus almost dropped the bags to the floor at the sight in front of him. The walls were a faded shade of orange-red, the wooden floors worn down and plain light bulbs hung in bare cords from the ceiling. This was definitely not what he had expected from the pictures Luke had sent him.

He gathered himself and walked upstairs to the apartment, unpacked the groceries and sat down with his plans, lists and sketches. Scratching a few things and moving around on the timeline for when he’d planned to open his studio, he added ‘repaint walls and polish floors’ to the list.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter updates will be on Sundays!
> 
> If you have comments, praise or thoughts please don't hesitate to come say hi on tumblr: [ oneofmanyjonathans ](https://oneofmanyjonathans.tumblr.com/)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Magnus asks for help to turn the shop into a studio and gallery!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all who left comments on the previous chapter, it means a lot!
> 
> Once again thanks to [Jay](http://softmagnusbane.tumblr.com/) for beta-ing

_First it's the spark and then it's the flame_  
_Then it's swinging round round lamp posts in the rain_  
_Well then it's that feeling that you you just can't shake_  
_That your life's about to start and you just can't wait_

\- Spark, Amber Run

* * *

Alec had busied himself with work the past week to avoid the feelings in his chest to blossom into something more. He was still confused about what exactly these feelings were, but nonetheless he didn’t want anything to do with them.

They had seen each other a few times over the past week, either in passing on the street or at the coffee house where Magnus seemed to spend most of his time.

On Wednesday Magnus had entered the flower shop and Alec couldn’t help but notice how his presence seemed to warm up the space. Alec had left Kimberly to take care of whatever Magnus wanted to order, and had gone to the back room to count what they had in stock and what needed to be ordered.

Magnus was an attractive man, any person could see that, and Alec was not about to deny that. Even Simon seemed to notice by the way he kept blabbing on about how Magnus took his coffee, or how Magnus kept ordering the special of the day anytime he stopped by the coffee shop.

Much to Alec’s surprise, even the elderly ladies in the book club even found him to be a nice young gentleman. It had taken Alec a while to be approached by the elderly citizens of the town when he had first moved here. However Magnus seemed to have them in a tight embrace, having charmed them already by taking pictures of their favorite pets or of them altogether at their weekly meetings at the coffee house.

All of this was something Simon could not stop talking about as he stepped through the door of Alec’s cottage on Friday night for their weekly movie night.

This particular movie night had turned into a headache for him. Simon was sat on the floor with a bowl of popcorn between his legs and his eyes glued to the screen where Star Wars Episode IV was currently playing. Simon had begged that they’d do a re-watch of all the movies to prepare for Episode VIII.

“Did you know that Magnus leaves almost double the tip? He’s so generous,” he said between mouthfuls of popcorn.

Alec, who was lying on the couch currently staring up at the ceiling not paying attention to the movie, grumbled a low ‘hm’, not wanting to think about Magnus.

“You know, he’s a great guy. I’m sure you two would hit it off,” Simon said again before stuffing his mouth with more popcorn. “I don’t know why you’re being such a boring ass, making excuses to work or whatever whenever he comes by the coffee shop.”

“What the hell Simon!” he exclaimed, not wanting to ignore how the person he called his best friend had just called him an ass. He sat up and grabbed the bowl of popcorn from him, receiving an open-mouthed look of shock from Simon.

“Right back at you man, give me my popcorn back,” he reached out to grab at the bowl, the movie forgotten.

“Tell me I’m not a boring ass and I will,” Alec responded with a raised eyebrow.

Simon swatted his leg and was about respond, mouth opening, when his phone buzzed loudly on the coffee table beside him. Alec raised an eyebrow and grabbed a handful of popcorn as Simon stretched to reach his phone.

His face lit up in a grin and turned his phone screen towards Alec for him to read the name that lit up his display. ‘Magnus’ read across the screen and Alec frowned just as his stomach jumped at the sight of the name.

“Speak of the devil,” Simon mumbled before picking up the phone. “What’s up, Magnus! We were just talking about you. Alec and I that is.”

Alec groaned and leaned back down on the couch and covered his face with his arms.

“I was just telling Alec about how he’s a boring ass for not hanging out at the coffee shop with us,” Simon continued.

“I have a job,” Alec protested loudly and removed his arms. His cheeks burned and he was grateful for the darkness of the living room. He didn’t need to have Simon know about his conflicted feelings.

While Alec was still bitter, but he tried to to get too hung up on the fact that he was never going to be able to open up his own shop. He couldn’t say he had lost anything, because he never had it in the first place. In truth, Alec didn’t know how to react at the moment and thus distancing himself from Magnus and the shop was what he felt most comfortable with.

Simon laughed at something being said on the other end, and shot Alec an amused look.

“Magnus agrees with me. It’s official, you’re a boring ass,” Simon stuck out his tongue before turning his focus back to the conversation. Simon’s face changed multiple times over the span of 2 minutes, his face expressing many things at once. Ultimately he ended up looking excited, and then his eyes landed on Alec as he nodded.

“Sure, we’re up for the task! We’ll meet you tomorrow. Bright and early, alright. Bye Magnus!” Simon hung up and stood up, shaking feeling back in to his legs. He looked at Alec with a mischievous grin.

“What did you do?” Alec asked, an unsure feeling settling in his stomach.

“We’re helping Magnus renovate his shop to prep it for opening later this month,” Simon said as he took the bowl of popcorn from Alec’s grip that had gone numb.

“What do you mean _‘we’_ are?”

“There’s no getting out of this one Alec, you’re helping as well. I’m sure Kimberly will give you the time off, since you’ve been working so much lately.”

 

The next morning Alec pulled into the town parking lot behind the town hall and climbed out of the car and into the cold morning. The sun had yet to rise and he felt restless sleep in his limbs, still not completely awake.

Simon may have had spoken for the both of them, but Alec wasn’t one to break a promise, even if it did make his stomach flutter with nerves.

The streets were empty at this hour of the morning and the fairy lights in the trees had yet to be turned on. Walking down the street he tucked his leather jacket tight around him to shield against the cold wind of the storm that would not seem to pass.

“Alec! Wait up,” someone called for him and he didn’t need to turn around to know it was Simon. He came up on his side, holding a cardboard tray with two cups. Alec frowned as his gut told him something was up.

“Why are there only two cups? We’re three people. Simon, do you need your money back from college tuition? Did they not teach you how to do math?” he asked, half-jokingly.

“Oh, these are for you and Magnus. I figured you would need the caffeine to start the day,” Simon said too cheerily for 5.30am.

“And what about you? Are you already dosed up on too much caffeine to need another cup?” Alec eyed the two cups he was holding as they kept walking down the dark street.

“Oh, I have plenty of coffee back at the coffee shop. There’s a church meeting and the book club is coming by later, and you know how they always buy me a cup,” Simon blabbered on.

“What do you mean ‘ _back at the coffee shop_ ’? You’re staying to help. You said you would help,” Alec reminded him. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw bright light shining out from the shop across ‘ _Flora Kimberly_ ’.

“I have work to do Alec,” was all he said before shooting him a grinning wink, shoving the cardboard tray into his hands and turning on his heels to run back the way they’d come from.

Alec rolled his eyes, huffed out a frustrated sigh and went to stand in front of the shop. The bright light that shone out came from the big lamps placed on the floor to light up the bare walls. The shop was divided into two parts equally large and only separated by the stairs leading up to apartment on top.

As he stepped in, he took a deep breath as if to brace for something happening. The door behind him closed with a silent thud and he stood alone in the quiet of the empty room.

It scared him how vividly he could see his drawings come to life. How the place would look if he decorated it the way he’d always imagined he would, had he actually bought the place.

In one corner he would put the desk for him to bind the flowers, over by the other wall he would display his flower arrangements and here by one of the front windows would be a perfect place to store the big plant for the outside light to shine. He would have placed candles and other decorative items in the middle and between the other arrangements to give it a homely feeling. He would make sure colors were well fitted together to go with the season: oranges and browns for the fall, reds and greens for the Christmas season and lighter colors for spring and summer.

Alec was still lost in thought as someone emerged from the stairs. He found it easy to get lost in thoughts that concerned his dreams where everything was still as if nothing had ever happened.

“Good morning Alec,” a voice spoke and pulled him out of his head and back to the reality. Magnus stood in the middle of the room that seemed so much smaller now that he was here, as if Magnus filled it out with his mere presence.

“Uh, good morning,” he mumbled out and mentally kicked himself for not hearing him come down. He must have looked like a fool standing there, mouth slightly open and deep in thought.

He held out the cardboard tray and Magnus stepped forward, moving with ease and took a cup with a kind smile. He was dressed in loose fitted pants and a gray sweater vest with a zipper down the middle and a white t-shirt underneath, that tightly fitted his biceps. A single necklace hung around his neck and his face was free of the usual make-up Alec had seen him in. He looked stunning nonetheless.

Alec diverted his eyes and found a stack of buckets of paint stacked multiple rolls of blue tape and plastic.

“So what’s the plan?” Alec asked and put his cup of coffee on the floor to remove his jacket. He threw it over the railing of the staircase and rolled up his sleeves, eager to get started.

Magnus took a sip of his coffee closing his eyes and a small moan of pleasure escaped him. He looked pointedly at the coffee and then at Alec who had picked up his cup again. Alec shot him a surprised look, having not expected to hear that sound coming from Magnus.

“Simon really does know how to make a mean cup of coffee,” was his only explanation before moving to the buckets of paint. As he started tearing off the lids, Alec noticed how his muscles strained at the effort.

Moving to give a helping hand, Magnus started talking about where he wanted which color. The back wall and the wall to the right of the entrance needed a fresh coat of white and the wall to the left of the entrance would need not only a coat of white but also a coat of stone gray to compliment the whites.

It was easy to roll out the plastic that needed to cover the wooden floors and taping edges, corners and electrical outlets went smoothly. Soon they walked around on plastic and Magnus agreed that it was time to start painting.

The each took a sidewall to begin the first coat of paint. They worked in silence, not exchanging many words. It suited Alec fine that he wouldn’t have to listen to Magnus’ voice. He wasn’t sure he liked the way it sounded soft and smooth, and how it carried traces of a dialect he couldn’t place.

As the sun began to rise, the big floor lamps became unnecessary and Alec went to turn them off. He stood and admired his work and a pleased smile grew on his face, happy to know that his hard work paid off.

“I was thinking we might needed a break. I can call Simon to bring us a refill, if you’d like?” Alec surprised himself at his suggestion and looked at Magnus over his shoulder. He stood and stretched his shoulders, nodding in agreement.

“Tell him to bring two of today’s special. My treat.”

“You know, someday you’ll have tried all of them,” Alec said as he searched for his phone in his jacket pocket.

“Yes, and then I’ll know which one is my favorite,” Magnus said matter-of-factly and shot Alec a wink. Alec could do nothing but huff out a short laugh at that as he dialed Simon.

 

The rest of day went by quickly and when Alec went to turn on the floor lamps again, Magnus broke the silence that had settled between them.

“You don’t talk much, do you?” he looked at him curiously but with a careful smile.

Alec raised an eyebrow in his direction and shook his head.

“I do. I just prefer to focus when I’m working. I, uh, I don’t want to mess anything up,” and as he said that he realized how deep those words rooted in him. Magnus didn’t seem to catch on to that, he simply nodded and continued painting the wall.

They had painted all the walls with the first coat of base paint and Magnus suggested they’d stop for today and pick up again tomorrow. Alec was relieved. His hand hurt and his head pounded from the fumes of the paint.

“Stay for dinner?” Magnus’ suggestive tone rang through the room as Alec bend to pick up his jacket. Alec looked up and saw the ghost of nervousness on Magnus’ face before he smiled.

“I can’t, I’m sorry,” the words left him before he could think about it, and a flicker of disappointment flashed through Magnus’ eyes. “It’s been a long day, and I promised to call my sister.”

Magnus looked at him with a curious expression and stepped closer, pointing a finger at him in a brief movement.

“See I would have known that if you had opened your mouth and told me about yourself,” he said in a joking tone that expressed nothing but kindness.

At a loss for words Alec just smiled and nodded. He noticed how small droplets of paint covered Magnus cheekbone and had to restrain himself from wiping them away with his thumb. An image of him doing so flashed through his head and a warm feeling settled in his stomach.

“I’ll see you tomorrow Magnus,” was all he said before leaving Magnus and stepping out into the cold evening where the air smelled fresh and full of rain.

 

* * *

 

After that first day of working together on renovation the shop, Magnus feared that Alec would never open up to him and let him get to know him.

It was strange how Magnus felt so strongly about getting to know Alec despite never having carried an actual conversation. Maybe that was why he was so interested. Magnus had always had a thing for the unknown and the less he knew, the more he felt drawn towards it. Magnus had an inkling that getting to know Alec would be a challenge.

However already the next day it seemed like Alec had had a change of heart.

“I’m sorry I’ve been unwelcoming,” he said with a firm voice as he held out a cup of coffee. “I’m not good with change, and I let it out on you, so, I’m sorry.”

Staring at him with wide eyes, having not expected this outburst of honesty, he accepted the cup of coffee and blinked, taken aback by the intense sincerity that sparked in Alec’s hazel eyes.

“Thank you Alec.”

 

After that it was as if a floodgate had opened and conversation flew smoothly between the two of them, one topic leading to the next and so on, until it felt as if they’d known each other for much longer than just the few weeks it had taken them to repaint the walls, waxing the floors, do some work on the ceiling and install new electrical outlets.

“Is there a continent you _haven’t_ visited?” Alec asked one night as they sat side by side on the staircase, each a Tupperware box in hand with leftover lasagna.

“Antarctica, but that’s only because I haven’t gone _yet_ ,” Magnus brushed off the question with ease, not wanting to sound superior for having been all over the world.

Alec looked at him incredulously with his mouth full of food. He chewed and swallowed before continuing.

“And why is that? Too scared of penguins?” he joked and dug his fork into the container again.

“Unfortunately, no team would take me. Antarctica isn’t really the place to go by yourself. I also really dislike the snow,” an ache settled in his chest as he remembered the numerous declines from research teams all over the world. It was a big dream of his to explore every kind of nature and any kind of natural phenomenon.

“If you dislike the snow, I’m afraid you’ve come to the wrong place. This town is covered in snow from December and up until almost mid April,” Alec watched as Magnus’ shoulders sunk in mock-disappointment.

“I knew there was something iffy about this place,” he mumbled as a mock-frown spread across his face. He placed his empty box on the steps in front of him and begun picking at some left-over paint on his hands.

Magnus watched as Alec leaned back slightly and raised his arm to grab his phone, giving him an opportunity to look at his neck where a pattern of lines connected to form a half-circle of some sort. The rest of the tattoo was hidden beneath the collar of Alec’s shirt and Magnus could only guess what else was hidden beneath the shirt, having seen Alec lift a few heavy boxes as the things for his studio had arrived the past few days.

“Your tattoo?” his curiosity got the best of him, and when Alec turned his eyes away from his phone screen to look at him, Magnus gently scratched the side of his own neck as a reflex.

Alec own hand flew up to touch the tip of the lines that stuck out as if he had gotten caught or was unaware of it being there. Then he smiled a secret smile and lowered his hand again.

“One of the only times I’ve ever gotten really drunk, and I wound up with a permanent reminder of it,” he huffed out a laugh and shook his head. Then he gently moved the line of his shirt and revealed the rest of it. “I’m just glad the artist was sober and clear minded.”

A drawing of a kneeling man carrying a bundle of patterns, which connected into what looked like a starry night on his back, was traced into Alec’s fair skin. The skin looked soft to the touch in the warm and bright light they had installed that day, and it prickled in his fingers, longing to touch.

“ _Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark in the hopeless swamps of the not-quite, the not-yet, and the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish_ …” Magnus started before Alec continued, voice low and lost in thought

“... _Perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserved and have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won. It exists… it is real… it is possible… it's yours_.”

“Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged,” they said in unison as their eyes met, dark hazel and dark brown. They both breathed out a laugh, and to relieve himself of the tension that had settled between them, Magnus rose to his feet and jumped the two steps down to the floor.

“I was thinking we start furnishing and decorating the place tomorrow,” Magnus began walking back and forth while occasionally casting glances at Alec, who watched his every move, hazel eyes still warm. “We have all the pieces of furnitures set up, and the last boxes with my stuff from the studio back in New York should arrive some time tomorrow before noon. So how about we both take the morning off, and sleep in for once?”

 

The next morning Magnus woke to the sound of birds chirping and sunlight streaming in, tickling his face with warm rays of sunshine. He couldn’t remember when he had last had the sun wake him up and he smiled as the light kept kissing his skin, begging him to open his eyes.

He was not prepared for the sight that met him once he finally did. As the sun had yet to rise the past mornings when he had woken, and the sun had long gone down when he went to bed, he had yet to see the view outside his bedroom window.

A single mountain filled the frame of the window, threatening to fall over him as he lay down. Its snow-covered top melted into waterfalls that spilled down its sides and ran through the brown and red-colored forest at the foot of the mountain.

He fumbled after the camera he always kept by his bedside and snapped a few shots while the lighting was just right.

Feeling on top of the world, he got ready for what would be the last day of renovating this place and finally turning it into the studio and gallery he had planned for. Walking down the stairs, two steps at a time, he saw Alec standing outside in the bright daylight.

Wearing the same sweater he’d seen him in the first time they had met, Alec looked positively glowing in the sunlight that came from the blue skies above. He stood talking to the delivery man with a box in his hands, and from the look on Alec’s face the box was heavy. The strained smile and the brows furrowed in concentration gave it away.

Magnus hurried outside, feeling the chill air instantly on his bare arms, and jumped to Alec’s aid. Grabbing a hold of it from underneath, his fingers grazed Alec’s and he felt a shiver down his spine, not only caused by the chill air.

Having taken Alec by surprise, he looked at him with his mouth slightly agape and his hazel eyes wide. Magnus felt the weight of the box and peeked into it, a smile forming on his lips at the sight of his favorite portraits.

The delivery man unloaded the last box and bid them goodbye. Magnus paid him handsomely in tips as they kept moving boxes inside.

 

The day went by with Alec asking endless questions of ‘where do I put this?’, ‘where does this belong?’ and ‘how do you want these?’, and with Magnus telling him, having a clear vision, feeling butterflies in his stomach as he watched his gallery unfold.

It was past lunch time when they were finishing the last box of pictures to hang on the sidewall of Magnus’ gallery. With a mix of sizes it was difficult to fit them all, but thankfully Alec had an eye for how to place them.

“Magnus, these are all amazing,” Alec said as he hung a portrait of a young woman Magnus had met a while back. Magnus smiled at the praise and nodded his head in gratitude.

“Thank you,” he said and turned his back as Alec leaned over the box to grab the next portrait. “It’s really all about the angle and the lighting. Anyone could do it.”

He turned around to find Alec staring at the portrait in his hands, knuckles white from clenching it too hard and face pale, eyes almost popping out. Magnus frowned and went to look closer at who was in the picture. He smiled weakly at the memory of the young woman in the picture.

“A politician’s daughter. Her parents hired me to do some some shots of them as a family for a campaign earlier this year. Horrible people. It wasn’t until after I’d finished the job that I found out they wanted to cut spendings for school arts programs,” huffing at the memory he shook his head and looked at Alec who was still as pale as before.

The picture was in black and white, yet the darkness of her hair was consuming and the fierce look in her eyes had taken Magnus by surprise as well. The woman in the picture was in a sitting pose, her head looking over her bare shoulder. Dressed in a sports bra and a pair of tights, she had looked much younger than the first time Magnus had seen her.

“This young woman came to me afterwards, wanting to do something different. I know this is in black and white, but I feel like you can sense the deep red of her lips, don’t you?” Watching Alec worriedly he saw wheels spinning in his head through his wide eyes. Magnus wondered what Alec was thinking.

“I, uh- yeah,” Alec finally said, hanging the picture gently on the wall, eyes not leaving it for one moment. Alec’s gaze finally broke from the picture and he cleared his throat. “I’m - she’s my sister, Isabelle. I’m a Lightwood.”

Now it was Magnus’ turn to turn pale and wide eyed. Looking intently at Alec he slowly felt questions burning on his tongue. How could this gentle, kind, interesting, funny man be a part of a family that actively seek to destroy the arts?

“I’m sorry,” was all he said and Alec shrugged at that. Magnus sensed that he didn’t want to talk about it, so he pushed his curiosity aside and they continued to work in silence.

To be fair Magnus didn’t know what he was sorry for. Was he sorry for talking about Alec’s family the way he had? Was he sorry that Alec was part of that family? Was he sorry for Alec finding out he knew Isabelle?

“It’s okay Magnus. Don’t worry about it,” Alec looked at him with a half-smile from where he was crouching on the floor.

“I’m not -,” Magnus begun but was cut off by Alec.

“Yes you are. I can see the wheels spinning in your head,” Alec insisted and stood, holding an album in his hands. Magnus recognized it and panicked.

“Don’t open that!” Magnus reached for it the moment Alec started to open it to peek at the pictures inside. Magnus groaned as it was too late and Alec started to blush, a faint pink shade spreading across his cheeks.

“Are these?”

“Pictures of some of my previous partners, yes. All taken consensually.” Magnus closed his eyes for a moment, trying to gather himself. He kicked himself for not keeping that in a separate box.

“There are men in this?” Alec looked puzzled but not surprised. He shot Magnus a curious look.

“I’ve been with men and women over the years, I’m bisexual,” he said calmly, studying how Alec didn’t seem to flinch, only relax as he handed over the photo album.

“They’re good. The lighting and, uhm, angle on some of them is good.” Alec looked at him with a earnest gleam in his eyes.

Magnus took it from him and chuckled.

“Only some of them, huh?” Magnus raised an eyebrow at him with smug smile accompanying it.

The blush on Alec’s cheeks was back and he ducked his head to try and look somewhere else but Magnus.

“Yeah, not all of them are appealing to me. So, what time have you invited people for for tonight?” Alec gracefully changed the subject, and Magnus decided that this was another subject for another time. However he couldn’t help but wonder why Alec had been wanting to switch so fast.

 

Magnus had invited the townspeople to come see his gallery and hopefully hire him for events or photo op's. He knew that with Christmas around the corner, many families with children often wanted pictures to send out, and while Magnus had moved from New York to photograph something else but people, it was the portraits that paid the bills.

To Magnus’ surprise, the place was filled to the brim with people. Both Simon and Luke had arrived as some of the first, had greeted him personally and the had each given him a welcome present - a bottle of whiskey from Luke and chocolate covered coffee beans from Simon.

Walking around and stopping to talk to the people admiring the portraits hanging on the wall, he tried his best to talk to everybody who had come to greet him and welcome him to town, but his attention kept coming back to the lack of Alec amongst the guests.

This gallery was just as much Alec’s doing than it was his own, and Magnus felt slightly selfish for taking all the praise. Looking around he knew he couldn’t have done this without the Alec’s help, and the way Alec had opened up to him and become a person Magnus would consider a friend, was something he wouldn’t have missed out on.

Tuning out Simon and Luke talking about the plans for the Christmas tree lighting next week, he looked around the small space. It was smaller than the one he had had in New York, but somehow it didn’t feel less worthy of being a gallery-slash-studio. He liked it because this was his and because, despite only living here for a few weeks, he felt welcomed.

As the evening turned into night, and people had started to leave, Magnus felt his heart grow heavy as he still hadn’t seen Alec in the crowd. He wondered what had happened, and he began to worry that he might have been in an accident.

Just as he had thought that, the front door opened and let in cool air from the dark, starry night outside. Alec came in, holding an arrangement of orange flowers, eyes searching the crowd until they landed on Magnus. A smile spread across his face as they approached each other.

“Sorry I’m late,” Alec said sincerely and held out the flowers for Magnus to take. “These are for you. Peruvian lilies. I had Kim put in a special order.”

“Thank you Alec,” he looked at Alec in astonishment, and walked towards a counter, beckoning Alec to follow him. “You really didn’t have to. You’ve already done enough.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve always felt that this space needed flowers,” Alec said solemnly, and Magnus saw the way his eyes grew dark and a veil of pain drew over his face shortly, before smiling again.

 

Studying Alec and the way he interacted with the people around him, it became clearer to him that there was more than what met the eyes when it came to Alec.

He saw in the way he acted like a gentleman around the elderly population, and the way he would roll his eyes when Simon rambled and came up with reasonable arguments when talking to Luke. He also saw it in the stolen glances he shot Magnus, when he thought Magnus wouldn’t notice. He saw it in the way Alec looked flustered when Magnus caught him.

He also saw it in the way Alec looked at the gallery and studio with hurt in his gaze, as if the sight of Magnus’ portraits hanging on the wall caused him pain, or as if with every flash of camera was a physical kick in his guts.

He didn't know what to make of the man, but something inside him stirred to life with every glance he cast in Alec's way. Something inside him wanted to know what had made Alec change his attitude towards him. Something inside him wanted to know how Alec could be so different from the rest of the Lightwoods. Something inside him wanted to know if Alec could be more than just a friendly neighbor, and maybe be the reason for him to find _home_ in this town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As the Holidays are upon us, sadly there will no updates for the remainder of the year. However, I will be posting snippets on my tumblr, so go find me there! 
> 
> I look forward to see you all again on _Monday Jan 1st_ for chapter 4
> 
> As always, if you have comments, praise or thoughts please don't hesitate to come say hi on tumblr: [ alecsgideon ](https://alecsgideon.tumblr.com/)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Magnus and Alec get a bit closer to each other and the nature surrounding them!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your patience and your sweet comments, it means a lot. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I've enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Once again thanks to [Jay](http://softmagnusbane.tumblr.com/) for beta-ing!

_Muscle to muscle and toe to toe_  
_The fear has gripped me but here I go_  
_My heart sinks as I jump up_  
_Your hand grips hand as my eyes shut_

\- Breezeblock, alt-j

 

* * *

 

It had been Isabelle who had pushed him to set his bitterness aside and and help Magnus instead. He’d called her as promised, she immediately sensed that something had been wrong, and Alec could do nothing but tell her the truth.

He’d told her how a city photographer, who, by the way, had no business whatsoever walking around town pretending to own everything, had moved into the shop across the street and was planning on turning it into a gallery.

Isabelle had laughed, told him to _take it_ _easy_ and reminded him of a similar conversation they’d had when he’d first met Simon. Alec had called her in frustration over the boy who would not shut up about Star Wars. Yet somehow, he had given in and watched the movies with the other man and they’d been friends ever since.

“Give him a chance, big brother. You barely know the man!” She had chided with a bubbling laughter through the phone.

“I know, Izzy. I know, it’s wrong to blame him,” Alec had sighed as he slumped onto the couch to stare up at the ceiling. “I just can’t help but feel like this guy is the reason why what I’ve always wanted is now out of reach.”

“I understand big brother,” Isabelle had responded, voice suddenly serious and laced with care. “But you’re also being a tad dramatic. I’m sure you’ll have an opportunity coming your way sooner rather than later.”

That’s why, when Magnus a week after the opening of his gallery stepped in to ‘ _Flora Kimberly_ ’, Alec no longer saw him as the man who ruined his dreams, but rather as a man who had quickly, quicker than anyone else, become a good friend.

“Ready to go?” Magnus asked, letting his painted fingertips run over leaves and flower petals of a red carnation.

Alec looked up from the counter where he was currently trying to account for the weekly sales and watched as Magnus wandered amongst the plants. Eyeing the clock, and calling out to Kim in the backroom to let her know that he was done for today, he picked up his scarf and left the shop with Magnus trailing not far behind.

“How was work today? Is Mrs. Wright still convinced her dog has a sixth sense?” Magnus asked teasingly making Alec chuckle. Having shared multiple stories of the old lady with Magnus, he knew all about her and her oversensitive poodle.

Smiling he shook his head lightly, digging his hands further into his pockets as they went down the street towards Simon’s coffee shop.  
“She’s convinced that since Pod isn’t growing a winter coat right now means we’re getting a warm winter. I didn’t have the guts to tell her that maybe, just maybe, it’s because her poodle doesn’t have long to go.”

“Alec!” Magnus chided in disbelief and jabbed his arm gently, a smile tugging at his lips when the other man met his eyes with a teasing grin.

They were both still chuckling when they stepped into the warmth of the coffee shop where people were sitting amongst Christmas decorations, soft Christmas music flowing through the air from the radio. While Simon didn’t celebrate Christmas himself, he loved getting his customers into the spirit of the Holidays.

“Hey guys!” Simon called at them from behind the counter and they both walked to greet him and to place their orders, but he held up a hand and closed his eyes dramatically before they could.  
“Wait, don’t tell me. A red eye for the florist and a vanilla latte for the photographer?” Simon squinted his eyes open and looked at them to see if he guessed it right.

“Actually, I’ll have a chai this time,” said Alec, surprising both himself and Simon who smiled brightly and went to work on their orders. He could feel Magnus looking at him from his side.

“Someone’s feeling the Christmas spirit early,” said Magnus as they went to a free table by the windows. Alec shrugged and looked out on the street. Darkness had fallen and the fairy lights in the trees cast a golden almost magical gleam onto the streets.

“I’m just trying to look out for my health,” Alec said shrugging, and watched how Magnus’ eyes roamed across his shoulders.

“Not that you need it. Besides, I’m sure the amount of cream and sugar combined in this one is worse than the one you usually get,” Magnus laughed and leaned back in his seat as Simon came with their drinks.

“It’s so good to see you guys,” he said and leaned back on his heels to look at them both. “I know I saw you this morning, and last night. But it’s still good to see you guys, and to see you getting along.”

Magnus and Alec looked at each other with a humored look on their faces before looking back at Simon who took their silence as a cue to keep moving.

“Does he always talk this much?” Magnus asked, leaning forward again and grabbed his drink between his hands. The orange light from outside caught the rings on his fingers and momentarily distracted Alec from his thoughts.

“Uhm… Yeah, yeah he’s always been like this,” Alec said, lifting his chai to take a sip, letting the sweet cinnamon flavor fill his senses. “Drives me insane sometimes, but he’s a good friend. Like you.”

Magnus beamed at him then and took a sip of his own drink before looking around the coffee shop. The flickering candle on their table casting dancing shadows across his face, contouring soft cheekbones and a sharp jaw, the sight enough to make the florist’s heart skip a beat.

Since the opening of Magnus’ gallery last week, they had both been busy with their respective jobs, but since it felt _weird_ not to be around Magnus all day, Alec had happily agreed to meet for coffee after they both finished work.

Magnus’ gathering had given him a lot of attention, and he’d been hired to take portraits and doing jobs for some of the local clubs. He even did a cover spread for the local newspaper. Alec sometimes watched him from inside ‘ _Flora Kimberly_ ’, walking down the street with his camera in hand. In fact, it was rare that he saw Magnus without some sort of camera by his side.

Clearing his throat, to catch Magnus’ attention that had drifted to the neighboring table where a family of three sat, Alec leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table.

“What are you doing this weekend?” he asked and saw Magnus looking momentarily taken aback.

“I don’t have any plans. Nothing settled at least. Luke was talking about meeting up for coffee on Sunday when he gets back from New York. What did you have in mind?”

“I was just wondering if maybe you’d like to see the mountains?” Alec said, not knowing where to look, his heart suddenly beating fast. “Up close I mean. Last year around this time I hiked to a camping site in the mountains and slept under the open night sky. It’s a challenge, but I have an extra outdoor sleeping kit if you’d be up for that?”

Magnus raised his eyebrows and smiled at him before emptying his cup and holding out a hand for Alec to shake on it.

“Oh,” he said, eyes never leaving Alec’s. “I love a challenge.”

 

The next day, a little before noon, they met in front of the coffee shop. Alec had just finished putting a thermos of tea in his backpack when he spotted Magnus walking down the street, wearing an outfit appropriate for the terrain they were about to enter yet still extremely fashionable for a small town. It was still cold as the late fall was supposed to be, but ever since the storm has passed over, the weather had become gentler, warmer.

“Quit staring at me like I don’t know how to dress for the occasion. I may have just moved here from New York, but I’m a born and raised country boy.” Magnus grabbed his kit from Alec’s outstretched hands and together they walked to his car.

On the drive to the bottom of the mountain, Alec asked why Magnus had wanted to leave New York. The other man was quiet for a little while, staring out the window of the passenger seat, watching the colorful landscape.

“I longed for something new, anything really. Something beautiful,” he sighed lowly, still looking out at the passing scenery, and then turned to look at Alec who had a small smile playing on his lips.

 

Magnus trotted after him on the narrow trail through the mountains and the only sounds that broke their silence were the constant _thud_ of footsteps, the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind and birds chirping. The air was crisp and left their cheeks rosy in the chilly winter air. The sun was currently hidden behind a layer of gray clouds, but there was no warning of a change in the weather.

They continued walking in silence for a while until Alec came to a stop at a lookout point. It had rained the previous night which left the benches wet and unable to sit on. Magnus stepped up next to him and breathed heavily in the thin air.

He looked out and smiled at the sight, a wondrous and breathtaking big lake and a mountain with a snowy top reflecting in the still water. Trees in every fall color adorned the mountainside and gave off a warm feeling in the cold. Or maybe it was Magnus who radiated heat, Alec couldn't tell.

Magnus reached back and brought his camera up to his face to snap a couple of pictures, giving Alec an opportunity to really look at him for a bit. He was dressed in a dark brown coat and hiking boots. His maroon scarf matched his fingerless gloves, and his dark hair was windblown, his cheeks rosy and matching the tip of his nose due to the low temperature.

He had a focused look on his face as he carefully set his camera in the right mode and twisted and turned it to catch the right lighting and the right moment before snapping a picture. Magnus smiled a quiet smile for himself when he got it right and Alec quickly found himself staring at his lips. He swallowed and quickly looked away.

“This is amazing,” Magnus said under his breath after a while, and it made Alec smile and his heart beat with pride.

“Let’s move on. We still have about an hour before we reach the campsite, and the sun is almost setting.” Alec said and looked at Magnus to make sure he understood. The photographer nodded and they continued the trail in comfortable silence.

  
  
As the sun began to set, the last of the daylight caught the branches of the trees and the yellow leaves making their surroundings almost golden. The light broke through the clouds and shone with soft beige, making it easy to forget it was the end of November.

The sound of clicks from Magnus’ camera mixed with the crackles of the open fire they had going was almost too perfect, and Alec felt warm to the bones with how comfortable he felt around the other man. He sat on a log, tending to the fire to not let it burn out as they were cooking beans in a small pot.

The clouds moved across the sky and the sun setting lower on the sky, the beige growing warmer and deeper into a warm orange, it was like the sky was set on fire, and the scenery in front of him turned into something so precious and frail it could be broken with only the slightest touch.

So he sat still and watched as Magnus moved around to catch the fading light in all its glory. His skin glowed in the setting sun, and as Magnus closed his eyes to fully grasp the last warmth of the daylight, he sighed in contempt, tilting his face upwards with a smile.  
  
“It’s beautiful,” he breathed out and continued to let the sun kiss his face. It was as if time stopped completely, and for a minute there was just Magnus, shining in the last rays of sunshine, smiling that secret smile that was meant for no one but himself.

Alec sat there looking at Magnus and agreed, that _yes it is_ , with a low hum that escaped his mouth. As soon as he’d said it the sun disappeared behind the mountains, the air grew instantly colder and all light except for fire and the light blue sky above them.  
  
Magnus came to sit next to him by the fire and reached out his hands to gain warmth in them. The burning orange flames reflected on Magnus’ painted nails and Alec found it mesmerizing. It was rare that Alec saw him without his jewelry or make-up, but today he’d been practical and it was just another look of many that made Alec’s veins buzz with anticipation of _something_.  
  
“I don’t think I’ve ever asked you. What are you doing here?” Magnus’ quiet voice filled the comfortable silence between them.  
  
Alec looked at him and in his eyes he saw the flames of the fire as they exchanged a few silent words. He didn’t mean _here_ as in _here in this moment right now_ , but _here_ as in _here in this town surrounded by the towering mountains_.  
  
“I uh, I needed a break from my parents and their expectations of who they wanted me to be,” Alec paused to gather his thoughts. “They wanted me to get in to politics when I graduated college, but the thought of standing up for something I don’t believe in was as appealing as the thought of marrying a woman.”  
  
Magnus, who had been staring at the fire, turned his head and Alec could feel his gaze burning fiercer than the fire.  
  
“You’re-“ he began slowly, making the words sound like a question for Alec to answer.  
  
“Gay. I’m gay, yes,” Alec finished the sentence and turned his frown into a smile when Magnus’ eyes lit up with something else than the fire reflecting in the deep brown of his eyes.  
  
“Hm,” he hummed, eyes growing warmer, and smirked as he looked back into the fire again. “How fortunate.”  
  
Alec breathed out a quiet laugh and turned to face the fire, letting the flames warm his face and Magnus’ presence burn his side.

“I wanted to go to Canada, but my car broke down just outside the town. Luke came by, and since he’s an old friend of my parents’ I trusted him enough to go with him, and then there was just something about the town that made me feel free, unburdened.”

Alec explained and handed Magnus a small cup he’d filled with hot tea from the thermos he’d carried around all day. The photographer mouthed a thank you and took a sip, wincing as the tea had probably burned his lips.  
  
“That’s a nice feeling. Free and unburdened,” Magnus sighed and looked up at the darkening sky, the movement revealing uncovered skin that glowed golden in the firelight. Alec swallowed a lump and blew at the hot steam coming from his own cup nodding in agreement.

When the food was ready, Alec scooped beans from the pot into two travel mugs and they ate in silence, listening to the fire crackle and the gentle breeze. When they were finished eating, Alec spoke up again.  
  
“Coming here was great at first because there were no expectations to meet, no parents to obey. Though, after a while I got bored of walking the trails every day, so I decided to actually take a walk in the town. I met Simon that first day and I guess we’ve been friends ever since,” the words flowed naturally out of Alec’s mouth and Magnus sat still, happily listening to everything he had to say.  
  
“And one day I came by ‘ _Flora Kimberly_ ’ and saw a ‘ _help needed_ ’ sign. I’ve always liked flowers and the meaning and symbolism of them, so I applied and Kim hired me almost on the spot saying something about my energy being _just what this store needed_.” He ended his stream of words and looked at Magnus for a short moment. They sat close, shoulder to shoulder, and the firm press of Magnus’ arm against his own was as familiar and comfortable as it was electrifying and thrilling.  
  
“That’s great Alexander,” the way his full name rolled off Magnus’ tongue was like a rumble that Alec felt through the spot their arms touched, and a shiver ran down his spine and made his breath hitch. It was a pleasant feeling and Alec looked at him. They locked eyes for a minute and it was as if the crackles of the fire grew silent as tension rose between them.  
  
Magnus started to move closer to Alec and for a short minute he thought Magnus was going to kiss him, and the way his eyes seemed to close slowly was almost painful to look at. However, Magnus just leaned back and began looking at the sky.  
  
Still looking at Magnus, he watched him looking at the stars with a smile on his lips. A gust of wind blew past them and carried a scent Alec would guess belonged to Magnus’ cologne. It carried traces of smoke and warmth and Alec started to feel the hike in his bones. Almost in sync they yawned and laughed quietly as they shook their heads, agreeing to settle in for the night.

 

* * *

 

The sound of the crackling fire and Alec’s deep breaths haunted his sleep, and Magnus wasn’t sure that he’d actually slept when he opened his eyes some time later. There were still embers in the fire and Magnus poked at it with a stick to have something to do.

It had been a while since he’d slept under the open night sky. Having found comfort between four walls and a roof over his head, he usually opted for sleeping indoors. However he wouldn’t miss out on spending more time with Alec. He’d missed the time they’d had alone in the weeks it had taken them to repaint and decorate the gallery.

He twisted his hands and flexed his fingers, needing something to fidget with. There was something about Alec’s presence that made him feel at peace and, dare he say, at home.

He shook his head at the ridiculous thought. He couldn’t possibly believe that that was what Alec made him feel, but then again Magnus had been known for feeling too much, too soon. But now that he with centainty knew that Alec was gay, there was no stopping his mind and heart from spinning out of control.

Something cold and wet landed on the tip of his nose and he looked up. Small flurries of snow started falling from the sky. He watched with a smile how they flew through the air before settling on the ground. He sat for a while, looking at the falling snow that began to cover the ground, before his heart skipped a beat in panic.  
  
“Alec,” he blurted out and looked over at Alec’s sleeping figure. His breath came out in steady, white puffs and he obviously hadn’t heard him.

“Alexander!” Magnus called out and saw how a jolt went through his body, his eyes fluttered open and he sat upright. Panic fluttered over his face as he looked around to see the snow falling and covering the ground. It had started to come down in heavier numbers and the wind had picked up slightly. His eyes landed on Magnus, eyes still wide in panic but face set in determination.  
  
“We need to go, right now. Magnus, shit, I’m so sorry,” Magnus watched as Alec fought his way out of his sleeping bag and stood up and folded it quickly. Magnus copied his actions and soon they were on their way back down the mountain.  
  
They took careful steps as they walked down the trail, flashlights out to lead the way, but they still kept slipping and tripping. It had taken them a few hours to walk up, and by Magnus’ calculations it took them half that time to walk down from it.

When they finally caught sight of Alec’s car they were both shaking with adrenaline infused laughter and soaked wet to the bones. Shivering from the cold or from laughter, neither could tell, but once they’d gotten in the car and the adrenaline had faded, it was definitely from the cold.

“We’ll make a pit-stop at my place. Warm up, have some breakfast and then I’ll take you-”

“Alexander, it’s not even midnight,” Magnus interrupted, looking at the clock on the dashboard. He felt laughter roll through his body and couldn’t hold it back when he looked at Alec.

“Oh, uhm… then do you maybe want to stay for a bit? Watch a movie or something?”

 

They pulled into Alec’s driveway as snowflakes fell from the sky, swirling faster and coming down even heavier than before. They were both cold to the bones at this point and hurried inside Alec’s cottage. They got rid of their wet overcoats, boots and socks, and then Magnus followed Alec into to big open living space where Alec kneeled in front of the fireplace, trying to get a fire started.

Looking around, it stunned Magnus how the cottage was so much like Alec. From the clean lines in the furniture to the organized bookshelves, everything in here screamed that this belonged to Alec. He was surprised at the lack of color and decorations. Minimalistic pieces of art hung on the walls along with a few photographs of people he assumed would be Alec’s family members. He narrowed his eyes and recognized Isabelle and the younger boy, Max, in one of the pictures. Even Simon had made it to the wall in a picture of him holding a fishing rod by a lake.  
  
“I have a shower you can borrow. It would probably be a good idea if you don’t want to come down with a cold,” Alec suggested and gestured at the guest bathroom at the end of the hallway. Magnus nodded, feeling the cold from the outside still lingering to his damp clothes.  
  
“If it’s no trouble, maybe I could borrow some dry clothes as well?” he asked, feeling a little shy even though it seemed like a reasonable request.  
  
The shower did him good and he stood for a moment dwelling in his own thoughts as the warm water seeped through his skin. He sighed and turned off the shower, grabbing the nearest clean towel and wiped his face only to bury his nose in the scent of laundry detergent. The scent was familiar, calming and very much like Alec. _Alexander_.

He didn’t know why he’d called him by his full name, but somehow that had changed something between them. _Alexander_ almost seemed like an intimate gesture that made Magnus’ heart soar and elicited excited shivers on the back of his neck.  
  
There was a knock on the door and he fumbled with the towel trying to make himself decent but ultimately he dropped it on the floor and he froze.  
  
“I, uh, put some clothes just outside the door. Just take your time,” Alec’s voice came muffled through the door and he heard footsteps leaving the door.  
  
He opened the door slightly and felt his way to a bundle of clothes and dragged them inside the bathroom.  
  
Once dressed he stepped out and went to the kitchen where Alec stood leaned up against the kitchen counter with a cup of steaming tea in one hand and his phone in the other. He looked up as Magnus entered and an unreadable expression crossed his face before it settled in a small smile.  
  
Magnus looked down at himself and huffed at the slightly long sweatpants and the brown sweater that clung a little too tightly around his shoulders.  
  
“You have long legs,” Magnus said lightly and watched as Alec’s eyes wandered over his body. Alec nodded and raised his eyebrows in an amused expression. He reached for a mug in a cupboard behind him, and the movement resulted in Alec’s shirt being pulled up to reveal a line of pale, delicate skin above his hip bone.  
  
The movement had Magnus transfixed and he could feel something pleasant blooming in his chest as he began to notice things about Alec that he hadn’t before. He noticed how this pale blue t-shirt clung to his chest, shaping the muscles beneath the fabric. He noticed the muscles in his arms flexing as he poured him a cup of tea. He noticed how the tattoo on his neck moved as he spoke directly to Magnus.  
  
“Are you hungry?” the words reached his ears and he dragged himself out of his intense gaze to look at the cup Alec had in his outstretched hand. Magnus took it from him gratefully before shaking his head and focusing on Alec’s face. His hazel eyes had grown dark as they flickered across his shoulders.  
  
“I tried to find something I thought would fit you, but you’re bigger than I’d guessed,” as soon as Alec had said that a faint blush spread across his cheeks and he looked away bashfully. Magnus, who had taken a sip of his tea almost choked on the warm liquid and rushed to put the cup down before he spilled the contents all over the floor.  
  
“I didn’t mean it like that. I just – I thought we’d be around the same size, but your shoulders are…” Alec waved his free hand in the air, trying to come up with a fitting word.  
  
“Alexander, it’s fine. It fits just fine,” Magnus chuckled out and saw how Alec visibly blushed again at the mention of his full name. Magnus liked the effect the name had on him and smiled a little to himself as he took another sip of his mug.

“So, what movie are you suggesting?”

 

They had been halfway through _A New Hope_ when Alec had started snoring by his side and Magnus’ eyelids had started to feel heavy. With both of them settled on L-shaped sofa in the living room, Alec had asked him if he’d ever seen Star Wars. Magnus had had to say no, because truthfully it had never occurred to him that he would enjoy them. Alec had responded to that simply by saying he should never let Simon hear him say that. And while explosions and mediocre VFX were interesting enough in itself, Magnus had started to feel the hike in his bones again. It was past 2am when they’d both finally slept - tucked in woolen blankets and heads angled towards each other.

Magnus was very aware of the ache he felt in his neck when he woke up to sunlight shining in his face. He was also very aware that the top of Alec’s head was inches from his nose, so close he wondered if he’d fallen asleep with his face buried in Alec’s hair. Fighting the urge to lean in and feel the strands of his hair against his face, he jerked his head back and groaned as pain shot through his neck.

Alec woke at that, staring out into the room, blinded by the sunlight, before sitting up and started rubbing his face. “Did I fall asleep?”

“We both did,” Magnus said while yawning. He sat up and stretched his neck, shoulders and arms, feeling the fabric of Alec’s shirt tight around his chest.

He caught Alec looking at him through half lidded eyes and a tired smile on his face. “Coffee?”

They ate breakfast and watched the last bit of _A New Hope_ \- the bit they’d slept through, and Alec humored him with facts he’d gotten from Simon.

At some point while they were cleaning Alec’s kitchen, Magnus’ phone buzzed with a text message. Luke was coming back from New York and would pick Magnus up on the way, making sure he didn’t skip their Sunday coffee at Simon’s.

That resulted in the two of them lounging on the couch - Alec reading a worn out paperback edition of _Pride and Prejudice_ for the 4th time, and Magnus with a copy of George Orwell’s _1984_. They read in comfortable silence, only broken by the occasional comment about something or Alec reading quotes out loud he found particularly funny.

As the day passed and the sun moved across the clear blue sky, the light reflecting like tiny crystals on the snow, Magnus paid attention how his body and mind finally felt at peace.

The constant buzzing in his head the streets of New York City had seemed to cause, had been replaced with a constant yet comfortable tingle on his skin when he thought about Alec. His heart used to do palpitations at the sound of car honks and shouting pedestrians, yet now is only did palpitations whenever the sunlight would hit Alec’s hazels eyes, coloring them in shades of green, yellow and sometimes blue.

Alec caught him looking and raised a questioning eyebrow. He shook his head and returned focus to his book, now very aware that Alec was looking at _him_.

When Luke called to let him know he’d be around Alec’s in about 10 minutes, he got up to go change back into his own clothes, leaving Alec’s neatly folded on the bathroom counter.

As they stood in the entranceway, watching Luke slowly but surely back his car into Alec’s snow covered driveway, there was a strange yet warm tension between them.

“I had a really good time, Alexander.” Magnus said, turning to look at Alec who stood in the doorway.

“Yeah, it’s been fun. Although, I’m sad you didn’t get to see the sunrise. I’m sorry I misread the weather charts.” Alec said, hugging himself as the chill winter air blew through the open door.

“I’m not,” Magnus said bluntly, smirking as he watched Alec shiver a little and huff out a laugh. “That just means we’ll have to do it again some time.”

“Yeah, well… Maybe I’ll take you there in the spring.”

“It’s a date,” he smirked and watched as Alec’s eyes widened before he started grinning. Magnus heart skipped a beat when Alec looked at him through his lashes before looking up and nudged his head in greeting towards Luke who waved through an open window.

“Speaking of,” Alec said, voice going low. _Flirting_. “Simon’s throwing his annual Christmas party on Friday and -”

“Friday? But it’s November?”

“Yes, well… Simon’s friend from college, Maia, is going to be in town for the season. So I guess it’s a Christmas slash welcoming party. There’s going to be a bar, pool, music. We should go. Together.”

If the sound of his own beating heart hadn’t roared in his ears he might have heard Luke honking at him, urging him to hurry up. He felt heat rising in his cheeks and he knew he looked dumbfounded and taken aback. Huffing out a laugh, he nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

 

When Magnus fell into bed that night he was certain he’d never felt this lighthearted before, and he was sure there was only one person to blame for that

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter updates will be on Thursdays.
> 
> As always, if you have comments, praise or thoughts please don't hesitate to come say hi on tumblr: [ alecsgideon ](https://alecsgideon.tumblr.com/)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we meet Maia and Luke, _something_ happens and sparks ignite!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've received so much positive feedback from the latest chapter, and I promise to reach out and thank every single one of you. 
> 
> Something different about this chapter is that there is no longer any clear point where the POV switches. From this chapter on, the POV's will switch at random between Alec and Magnus.
> 
> Once again thanks to [Jay](http://softmagnusbane.tumblr.com/) for beta-ing!
> 
> This one is for Sara, min engel

  _Eyes that gaze into mine,_  
_A smile that is lost on his lips—_  
_That is the unretouched portrait  
__Of the man to whom I belong_

 

 - La vie en rose, Édith Piaf (english translation)

 

* * *

 “Alec, did you do this?” 

Alec spun around as Kimberly walked out of the backroom with a note in her hand, her brows furrowed and reading glasses purged on the tip of her nose, she looked puzzled. He took the paper handed to him after wiping off his hands on his jeans.

It was a receipt for a special order of peruvian lilies - the ones he’d gotten specially for Magnus’ opening. 

He swallowed dryly before handing it back to her. “Yeah, but don’t worry about it. I took it out of my paycheck.”

She raised an eyebrow and removed her glasses from her face, all of the sudden looking smug. 

“Uh huh, and since when do we put in special orders for a 100 bucks? Alec, these were imported from Peru!” She slammed her hand on the counter beside him while grinning, excitement shining in her eyes.

Alec felt his ears burn hot and a smile crept onto his face when he thought it over. He should have known the order he’d placed in secret would eventually be found out, now he was just glad there were no customers in the shop.

“Friendship and devotion,” was all he said before moving to the big windows to water the plants currently on display.

“ _ Friendship… _ all right,” she said rolling her eyes and followed close behind.  “And what about … anemones, gardenias, and purple lilacs? Anticipation, joy and  _ secret love _ ?”

He hadn’t meant to make another order, but after his weekend with Magnus, he was sure that what he was feeling, Magnus felt too. It had come slowly but surely and disguised as friendship, but no friends shared lingering gazes at the other’s lips or tried to remember everything about the other’s eyes the way he had.

Alec sighed impatiently, eager to keep his private life private, and turned around to face her. Raising an eyebrow as to challenge her to keep going, he saw her posture falter a little and she crossed her arms defensively.

“I’m going to take this out of your paycheck, you know. We don’t do special orders,” she reminded him, a trace of a smile lingering on her lips, before walking back to the backroom, leaving Alec with a fast beating heart and flushed cheeks.

 

***

 

“Sorry I’m late,” Magnus said, locking up his shop. “Next time you’re welcome to come inside. You don’t have to wait out here in the cold.”

Alec eyed the shop, while he had gotten used to the idea of Magnus owning it, and knowing it would never be his, he still couldn’t help the pang of want and pain in his chest whenever he looked at it for too long.

“I work just across the street Magnus, I texted you saying I was outside while still at work. I’m fine,” Alec said, finally taking in Magnus’ appearance. They hadn’t gotten around to spend that much time together during the week as they’d both been busy - Alec with ordering flowers for the various Christmas decorations around town and Magnus with a short trip back to Manhattan with Luke.

Noticing that Magnus had a strand of deep purple in his hair, he wondered idly if the outfit underneath his black coat matched. It usually did and it was a little detail Alec had grown fond of over the past month.

“Your sister sends her love,” Magnus smiled as they started walking towards Simon’s. “We managed to grab coffee in between her studies. She’s truly a wonderful bright young woman.”

“You met with Izzy?” Alec asked perplexed, and Magnus nodded smile faltering slightly. “I haven’t talked to her since…“ He hesitated. “In a long while. How is she?”

Magnus was still talking about Isabelle when they stepped into the coffee shop. Telling Alec about a recent assignment of hers that had proven to be quite difficult. Neither of them they noticed the drastic change of decor in the coffee shop before Alec bumped into a chair that most certainly hadn’t been there this morning.

“What the -” began Alec but was interrupted by an ecstatic Simon.

“There you are! Guys, I want you to meet Maia,” Simon stepped around the corner of the glass display that usually held pastries and waved them over. Magnus and Alec looked at each other briefly before slowly navigating around the misplaced furniture in the shop. Pulling his coat off, Alec saw that Magnus indeed did have a matching outfit to go with the color in his hair, making him smile a little to himself.

All around them there were fairy lights in every color shining brightly, Christmas decorations hung from the ceiling in addition to having been put  on tables and placed in windows.  Poinsettias in every size were placed around the shop, something Alec remembered Simon coming in earlier in the week to buy the full delivery they’d gotten of the flowers. Christmas music and quiet chatter filled the room, increasing the homey comfortable feeling settling in around them.

Tables were pushed to the sides and chairs were placed mismatched around them to fit any size of group that could come in. A pool table stood by the back of the room and next to it a jukebox. It looked a little more like a bar than the usual coffee shop, and Alec was delighted on behalf of Simon that a lot of people had showed up for this. He recognized a few of his usual customers, nodding in greeting when he caught their eyes.

“Guys, this is Maia. Maia, meet Alec and Magnus,” Simon said and leaned against the counter where a dark-skinned, young woman stood. Dressed in a red halter neck shirt with gold embroidery and with deep brown eyes, she radiated a warmth and kindness that made Alec feel at ease almost instantly. He held out a hand for her across the counter, and she took it smiling brilliantly. 

“It’s nice to finally meet you Maia. I’ve heard a lot about you from Simon,” he said and watched as her eyes dart to Simon who looked slightly embarrassed.

“Only good things I hope. Truth be told, I’ve heard a lot about you too,” she said and turned to greet Magnus. Her handshake was firm and she had crinkles around her eyes as she smiled.

“It’s nice to see you again Magnus, thanks again for letting me tag along the other day,” she said and Magnus smiled waving a hand and shook his head.

“It was the least we could to. Thank  _ you  _ for being great company,” he said earnestly before looking at Alec. The fairy lights in the ceiling reflected in his eyes, highlighting the faint glitter in his eyeliner.

“You’ve met already?” Simon asked in bewilderment, looking back and forth between Maia and Magnus.

“They met when Magnus and I were driving back from New York the other day.” A dark voice said from behind them and Alec turned around to see Luke walking towards them. Dressed in a blue henley tight around his chest and upper arms and dark jeans, he looked more like Luke and less like Mayor Garroway at the moment.

After greeting them all, he went to stand next to Maia who beamed up at him. Chuckling at the confusion on Alec’s face, Luke beckoned Maia to tell them how they knew each other.

“I used to be an intern at the police station Luke worked at until I found out that I wanted to study marine biology. Thankfully, we kept in touch, and since I got offered a new internship abroad for next year, I wanted to spend my last few weeks in the US with Luke,” she said not taking her eyes away from Luke. It was clear that he was like a father to her, and somehow it made Alec’s heart ache for it. 

Simon smiled and looked around the five of them with a big grin. “What a gang. First round is on me!”

 

***

 

It turned out that Maia did bartending in between her studies as well, and within 5 minutes of knowing Alec, she already knew his favorite brand of beer. Maia and Simon tended the bar and saw to that everyone was having a good time while Luke mingled around with the people who had showed up.

Alec and Magnus had gone to the jukebox, trying to agree on what album to put on. Swirling his martini around in his glass with one hand, Magnus’ other hand hovered over buttons to select their choice.

“Favorite Queen album?” Magnus asked, shooting Alec a look out of the side of his eye.

“I never really listened to them that much. Just the big hits,” he shrugged and tried not to crack a smile at Magnus’ mock-offended expression.

“I have so much to teach you Alexander,” he said, settled on a choice and leaned back against the machine to look at Alec.

“I bet you  _ think _  you do,” he retorted and smiled as Magnus’ eyes grew wide in surprise and the corner his mouth turned upwards.

“That sounds like a challenge. How about a game of pool?” Magnus asked, nodding his head in the direction of the pool table behind them.

Moving towards the table, they left their half finished drinks behind. Magnus rolled up the sleeves of his deep purple dress shirt to his elbows, revealing tanned skin and firm muscles. He raised an eyebrow as he caught Alec staring and smirked when he passed him a pool cue, letting his fingers brush Alec’s in the process.

Huffing out a laugh, Alec tried hard not to let the shivers that ran down his spine distract him from the game. However, whenever Magnus leaned over to aim and the muscles in his arms or on his back flexed, he lost track completely.

“Your turn, Lightwood,” Magnus said and stood back up. His eyes, dark and confident settled on Alec, blinked slowly and got a distant look in them as Alec ran a hand through his hair.

“Let’s play.”

 

***

 

A few hours passed and the coffee shop-turned-bar for the night was mostly empty save for a group of teenagers around the jukebox and the five of them around a table. Sitting side by side across from Simon and Maia, with Luke at the end of the table, Alec and Magnus listened in to the conversation between Maia and Luke.

After three rounds of pool they’d come to an agreement that they both had good aim and secret tricks up their sleeves. In between playing, throwing sarcastic remarks at the other and sending smirks and looks, a tension had risen between them. Something neither of them had mentioned, but definitely felt.

“So I said to them ‘well, if your expedition doesn’t have a photographer, how will you document this trip?’ They didn’t answer me on that. I don’t think they’re used to people dropping out of opportunities like these,” she scoffed and leaned back in her chair.

“Where are you going?” Alec asked, sure that it had been mentioned at some point during their conversation, but having been distracted by the warmth of Magnus’ body by his side and his pinky finger drawing circles on his knee under the table.

“Antarctica. It’s an internship for three months to gather samples of the water and ice,” Maia said patiently, her eyes darting back and forth between Alec and Magnus.

Magnus’ finger stopped drawing circles as he pulled his hand back, body suddenly growing stiff as he sat up straighter in his chair as if he’d also just started paying attention.

“Antarctica? With no photographer? What a shame. I’ve heard it’s a beautiful place,” Magnus said, his voice strangely out of breath and laden with longing.

“Oh, that’s right, you’re a photographer! I’ll have to see some of your work soon. Maybe I could get in touch with my expedition leader and I could direct you to them?” Maia said, leaning forward and looking at him wide eyed and hopeful.

Magnus looked surprised at her sudden suggestion and he leaned back a little, his back pressing against Alec’s arm that was slung around the back of the chair. He shook his head gently and smiled briefly before looking at Alec for a moment.

“I don’t know, I -”

“I know it’s a lot to consider, but think about it, okay?” Maia turned her attention back to Simon as he began talking. 

Alec could see that the way Magnus’ shoulders were slightly slumped meant that he had his mind elsewhere, and to get his attention back he pressed a thumb into one of the hard muscles on his back.

“Are you okay?” he asked just low enough for Magnus to hear. Magnus nodded and looked at him with a quiet smile. He leaned into Alec’s side and bumped a gentle shoulder into his ribcage.

“I have something I want to show you,” he said in a low voice, his breath grazing Alec’s cheek.  

 

***

 

Magnus had wanted to get out of the warm and comfortable shop the moment Maia had mentioned Antarctica. It was stupid really, this dream he had of visiting every continent. Yet the thought of actually being able to go had been enough to make his heart beat out of control and his throat had closed up. He swallowed hard as he heard the door to Simon’s close behind him.

Tugging his beanie around his ears, Alec came to stand next to Magnus. He looked at him with a puzzled look, but it went away the minute Magnus tugged at his arm, beckoning him to follow wherever he was leading him.

Stopping in front of his gallery he felt Alec hesitate behind him and something knotted in his chest, a hurt feeling momentarily running through him, but gone the minute Alec shot him a lopsided smile and followed him inside.

The lights from the trees cast an orange glow onto the floor, and refraining from turning on too much more light, Magnus walked to the side of the shop he used as his studio. Switching on a lamp beside his drawing table, he turned on the desktop computer he used for picture editing. While waiting for it to start up, he cast a glance at Alec who stood back with his hands in his jacket pocket, shoulders tucked up to his ears. 

He’d had a lovely time with Alec earlier this evening at Simon’s gathering. He’d felt relaxed, comfortable and excited about the tension that had been between the two of them just before they’d left. He wanted to hang on to that feeling for as long as possible.

He browsed through his recent edits on the computer and found the pictures he’d taken the day they’d gone to the mountains.

“Come see,” Magnus said with his eyes glued to the screen. He heard Alec stepping closer and not long after he felt Alec’s breath on the shell of his ear making his eyes flutter shut momentarily at the warm intimacy of it.

The picture on the screen showed the lake with a reflection of the towering mountains on the surface of it. The mountains snowy tops and the not too cloudy skies almost crystal clear on the still water. The colors were clean and while enhanced, they still looked realistic and true to their nature.

He skipped to another picture, this one warmer and with more color as it showed the sunset through the clouds. Burning oranges and reds with flecks of pink swirled across the image. The sky looked like it was on fire and Magnus heard Alec’s breath hitch. The sound made his own heart beat faster as he turned to properly face Alec.

“Magnus, they’re amazing,” Alec said quietly. ”You’re an amazing photographer.”

Standing close to each other in the dark studio, Magnus felt the return of the tension from before return. Being this close to Alec, feeling his warm breath and watching his pupils dilate, made Magnus’s heart soar and skip beats. 

He watched as Alec’s tongue darted out to lick his lower lip and saw how his jaw flexed as he leaned in. Just when he closed his eyes to await the feel of Alec’s lips against his own, he heard a loud knocking on one of the glass windows of his studio. 

They both froze before Alec spun around to look for the source of the noise and it gave Magnus time to curse inwardly at whoever it was who had interrupted this moment. A couple of townspeople stood outside with lanterns in their hands and a roll of wire. Magnus frowned, sighed and went to open the door for them.

“So sorry to disturb your evening Mr. Bane, but we’re from the town hall holiday department and we’re in charge of the Christmas tree lighting tomorrow evening, so we wanted to know if it’s alright that we use your exterior outlet?” the elderly man looked nervous for some reason and kept eyeing the woman next to him. Alec barely recognized them from a few of the town hall meetings he’d been to. 

“And you thought it would be a good time to come knocking on my door at 11 o’clock at night?” Magnus sighed letting some annoyance bleed into his voice, given what the people had interrupted he really didn’t care too much about being friendly right now. 

“We really are terribly sorry to disturb you this late, but there was a slight malfunction with the previous used outlet. It’s all fixed now, but we’re a little scared about using it again in case of the error repeating.”

Magnus looked at the man with a raised eyebrow before looking back at Alec who shrugged as if to say  _ what could go wrong? _  He sighed and looked back at the old man, plastering on the most friendly smile he could muster.

“Of course, give me a second and I’ll show you where to plug in your Christmas tree,” he said before shutting the door again. He watched as they walked around the corner of his building and sighed before turning to Alec.

Biting his lip, Alec looked on the edge of laughing. Surely enough all it took was an eye roll from Magnus to make him giggle. Stepping closer to Magnus he breathed out a low sigh and bowed his head. Magnus knew he looked equally as disappointed and he felt a slight tug in his chest.

“Buy me a drink tomorrow?” He asked kindly and Alec nodded, suddenly very aware of the rate his heart was beating.

 

***

 

It looked like the entire town had gathered at the town square to see the big Christmas tree be lit up for the season. The last night of November was freezing cold and crystal clear, stars blinking over their heads along with a crescent moon shining brightly in the sky.

Holding two steaming cups of mulled wine, Alec made a beeline to Magnus who stood in the outskirts of the crowd. The light from a few open fires was currently the only lightsource, so Alec was careful not to bump into anyone while carrying their hot drinks.

“Here you go,” he said as he reached Magnus whose attention had been on the leveled platform next to the Christmas tree. Simon was in the midst of setting up his guitar and speaker while a conductor tried to gather his little group of young church singers.

Magnus smiled warmly as he took the cup from Alec and instantly wrapped his hands around it. They stood in silence for a while before Luke stepped on to the platform ready to give his yearly speech.

“Welcome! It’s good to see so many of you. I know a lot of you - especially the younger ones - have been looking forward to this day,” Luke said and addressed the people in front of him. “The last day of November marks the first day of the beginning to the end of yet another year.”

As Luke went on to speak about highlights from the year, Alec was pleased to hear both Simon, Magnus and his own name mentioned as someone who had made a mark in such a short period of time, and as someone who contributed greatly to the community. 

Finishing up his speech he introduced the local church choir who would sing a few carols before they’d light the Christmas tree.

“Do they do this every year?” Magnus asked quietly as the choir started an acapella version of ‘Silent Night’.

Alec shrugged. “I think so. They all seem really committed to it, don’t you think?”

“It’s nice,” Magnus said and looked at Alec whose gaze was focussed on Simon on the stage. Magnus noticed how his scruff looked more trimmed today than it had in the past week and he had to restrain himself from running a finger along his jaw. 

Alec’s eyes moved and caught Magnus’ out the side of his eyes and he smiled a short, sweet smile. He felt it again, that tension and the tugging in his chest, even more intense than last time. Shivers ran through his body as he felt something switching in the air. He huffed out a short laugh and turned his attention to the choir.

After a few carols, Luke stepped back up on to the platform and initiated a countdown and when the crowd yelled one, he flipped a switch lighting up the tree. The lights flickered a few times before settling and then the crowd erupted in excited cheers. It lit up the town square and colored it bright and golden, eliciting warmth even in the freezing night.

 

***

 

Standing side by side, Alec and Magnus watched as the lights on the big Christmas tree glimmered in the dark evening. With their hands barely touching Alec hooked his pinky finger around Magnus’ and tugged at it a little to get his attention. Magnus face turned with shiny eyes still focused on the Christmas tree, his faced bathed in golden flickers, lips slightly red from the mulled wine.

“Magnus,” he whispered, barely a sound but loud enough for Magnus to finally look at him. His eyes searched Alec’s face until they settled on his lips. His breath shallow and coming out in small white puffs.

“Yes, Alexander?” he murmured, a small smile playing on his lips as he tipped his chin up slightly, inviting.

“I really want to kiss you,” was all he said as he closed the gap between them with a firm press of his lips. Magnus’ response was instant as he grabbed a proper hold of Alec’s hand and intertwined their fingers, soft lips moving together sweetly.

A sigh escaped Alec’s mouth when Magnus’ nose bumped his as their heads turned in sync to deepen the kiss. Catching Magnus’ upper lip between his lips and tugging gently at it, he tasted the mulled wine from before. At the first touch of tongue against tongue, Alec almost reeled over with the urge to pull Magnus closer and drown himself in the warmth of their shared breaths.

Breaking apart slowly, with his eyes still closed to keep the feeling of Magnus’ lips on his own for as long as possible, Alec smiled shyly when he felt Magnus squeeze his hand. Opening his eyes to find the Magnus looking at him, eyes wide and giddy, he couldn’t help but pull him into a hug and bury his cold cheeks in the warm crook of his neck.

Overcome with heat and the indescribable feeling of joy, he managed to forget about everything that had led to this moment. His feelings for Magnus had taken him by surprise, but somehow he knew he should have expected this. 

Magnus shook with soft laughter as he hugged him back just as fiercely. Alec was overcome with a sudden feeling that this was where he was supposed to be and who he was supposed to be with. He’d never felt like this about another person before, and while he wasn’t a firm believer of soulmates, he was damn close to believing Magnus was his.

“Take me home,” he heard Magnus whisper against his ear through his beanie. “Not my apartment. They’re still hogging electricity from the outlet, and I don’t want interruptions. Take me home, Alexander.”

 

***

 

Kissing like this was exhilarating and quite frankly a little messy. The movies always made it look so easy, and literature always described it as moving in unison. The reality was much less romantic but no less good.

Stumbling through the dark cottage with only the moonlight and the outdoor lanterns shining in through the large floor-to-ceiling windows to light their way, they bumped into furniture and stubbed their toes on unseen corners but neither minded.

Walking backwards, feeling Magnus’ mouth hot against his own, he let Magnus guide him through the living room until he felt his knees hit the couch and promptly sat down, grabbing on to Magnus’ waist to pull him down with him. Magnus let out a shaky breath as their chests collided and his arms stretched out in front of him, resting on the back of the couch, an arm on either side of Alec’s shoulders.

The way Magnus hovered over him with warm breath tickling his upper lip, he felt he could get lost in the moment. He could get lost in the way Magnus’s knees hugged his hips, the way his necklaces hung and fell onto Alec’s heaving chest and the way Magnus’s nose currently nudged at Alec’s, tipping his face upward in search of his lips.

The kiss was gentle this time, less rushed and more like the kiss they’d shared in the light of the Christmas tree. Silky lips caressed Alec’s and he sighed into the feeling as their tongues met in a wary touch, as if they were just getting to know each other.

In some ways they were.

They’d never been this close, this intimate with each other and it made Alec’s heart surge as the touch of Magnus’ tongue became more insistent and wanting. A low moan escaped his lips and he felt a hand on his neck, gently pulling at the small curls in the nape of his neck and a finger running through his beard, creating shivers down his spine.

Alec’s hands found the way up Magnus’ back and around to his chest and up his neck as he cupped his face to draw him closer. He turned his head to gain better access to his mouth, as the kisses became open mouthed, hot and wet and increasingly intense.

“Alexander,” Magnus groaned as he pulled away to catch his breath. He leaned back a little, shaking his arms and he chuckled as he then placed them on Alec’s chest and drew them down his shirt to stop and fiddle with the hem of it. 

Alec was out of breath himself, but leaned up and reached behind Magnus back to hold him tight. His mouth found way to the other’s neck and he began trailing kisses from the nape of his neck, up his chin and to his earlobe where he felt Magnus shiver.

“Magnus,” was the only thing he could murmur before Magnus placed a flat hand on his stomach under his shirt and there they sat. Breathing in and out, heavy breaths laden with want and unspoken words.

Words their bodies knew and a phraseless language that they’d developed in the short time they’d known each other. Pressing their foreheads together, Alec removed his hand from Magnus’ hard stomach and gently squeezed his thigh.

“Let’s not… Let’s not move too fast,” Alec murmured and felt Magnus nod against his forehead. Leaning down to press a tender kiss to Alec’s lips, Magnus tried to say everything words couldn’t at that moment.

 

***

 

It was a little before dawn when it happened. The Christmas tree stood proudly at the town square, shining it’s golden light up on the town hall and its surrounding buildings. Then at the first sign of daylight, the lights flickered and went out without anyone noticing it.

The wire plugged into the exterior outlet of Magnus’ shop fizzled and sputtered as tiny specks of light started to spark. 

30 minutes later the sparks would turn into a small flame. A small flame that would grow into a fire that would burn down the whole building down.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter updates will be on Thursdays.
> 
> As always, if you have comments, praise or thoughts please don't hesitate to come say hi on tumblr: [ alecsgideon ](https://alecsgideon.tumblr.com/)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which secrets are revealed, dreams are shattered and someone pays a visit!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( _I know it's not Thursday, but I couldn't wait!_ )
> 
> An official apology for that cliff-hanger at the end of chapter 5 - I hope this one makes up for it!
> 
> Once again thanks to [Jay](http://softmagnusbane.tumblr.com/) for beta-ing!

_What if this storm ends?_  
_And leaves us nothing_  
_Except a memory_  
_A distant echo_

\- The Lightning Strike, Snow Patrol

* * *

 

Waking up next to each other was not something they had planned, yet here they were, groaning softly at the insistent buzz of a phone on Alec’s nightstand.

“Turn that godforsaken thing off,” Magnus’ voice was low and laden with the remains of sleep. Alec reached out blindly, not caring to see who was calling, and turned his phone off before lying back under his warm covers.

The night before they had found their way to Alec’s bedroom in the dark - neither of them wanting to sleep on his couch again - sneaking glances and touches whenever they could. They had fallen asleep to the sound of each other’s soft giggles and murmurs.

Alec turned to his side to face Magnus who was already looking at him through sleepy, half-lidded eyes. The make-up around his eyes slightly smudged, but Alec didn’t find the sight any less magnificent than if his make-up had been flawless.

“Morning,” Alec said, voice croaking and mid-yawn. Magnus breathed a laugh in response.

“I have to give it to you Alexander,” Magnus’ dopey smile lit up his face with the sun streaming in through the window. “You certainly know how to get a man to bed with you. Do you do that to all the men who crosses your path?”

Huffing out a laugh Alec raised a suggestive eyebrow at him. “Only the ones who look the way you do in the morning.”

Watching a faint blush spread across Magnus’ cheeks Alec had no time to prepare the incoming crash of lips and teeth against his own. A low _hmph_ escaped his lips as he rolled onto his back with Magnus’ chest against his own.

Settling into a slow rhythm of lips against lips, they got familiar with the feeling of each other’s mouths. With every press and drag of Magnus’ lips, Alec felt the rest of the world fade away, leaving only the two of them surrounded by the quiet woods outside his cottage.

A low moan came from the back of Alec’s throat as Magnus’ lips began traveling from his mouth down his chin, over his scruffy jaw and down his neck. Feeling Magnus’ warm tongue against the sensitive skin just above his crow’s bone, he arched his back slightly, a pleased sigh escaping his lips.

“My my Alexander,” Magnus chuckled and raised himself up on his arms to hover above Alec, who reached his hand up to stroke a thumb over a smudge of eyeliner under his eyes. He let his hand linger on Magnus’ cheek and used it to pull him back down into a gentle kiss.

They stayed like that for a while until Magnus sat up abruptly with a smile on his face and pulled Alec up as well. Protesting a little, he sat up and looked at Magnus with a raised eyebrow.

“First things first, my feet are cold. Can I borrow a pair of socks?”

Alec couldn’t help but chuckle at that request as he gestured at one of the closets by the back wall. He watched as Magnus - dressed in the same clothes he’d borrowed the weekend before - stumbled on to the floor of his bedroom.

“And second of all, what are we -”

“Magnus, wait!”

Cold horror rushed through Alec’s veins as he watched in slow-motion how Magnus pulled open the closet door he was _not_ supposed to open. He saw Magnus’ face contract in confusion as his eyes roamed over the pieces of paper stuck on the inside of the closet door.

“What’s this?” sounding confused he looked at Alec for answers.

 

***

 

“Magnus -” came Alec’s voice, faint and nervous.

“These are plans of my gallery. Why do you have these?” He kept looking back and forth between Alec and the drawings - the same exact drawings he had been given when he had first bought the place a few months earlier.

Suddenly overcome with a feeling that something was very, very wrong he turned to look at Alec, his face set in an expression harder than he’d intended to by the shocked look on Alec’s face.

“Why the hell do you have the plans of my gallery hidden in you closet?” Magnus asked, mostly to himself, and didn’t wait around for an answer, but strode barefooted out of the bedroom eager to find his phone.

The nagging feeling that something had happened didn’t go away when he heard Alec following him to the entryway where he was trying to turn on his phone.

“Magnus, would you just -”

“I need a charger,” he interrupted and walked past him, until he realized he had no idea where Alec kept such things. He turned around, looking a little sheepishly until Alec took the phone from his hands and walked back to the bedroom.

Removing his own phone from the charger, and setting Magnus’ in instead, he turned around with his face set in slight frustration.

Shaking his arms and feeling restless, needing something to fidget with, Magnus paced the floor, feeling Alec’s gaze on him with every step he took.

“I used to study business and when I graduated I wanted to open up my own flower shop in New York, though my parents had other plans for my future. They truly believed I would follow their footsteps and carry on the Lightwood name in politics,” Alec’s voice was steady, but Magnus saw the way he clenched and unclenched his hands repeatedly. “Those are business plans for the flower shop that I planned to open. It just so happened to be in the same space that you bought before I even got the chance.”

Magnus’ heart sank on Alec’s behalf knowing all too well what it was like to have your dream snatched away before it could even begin to unfold. Looking at him, he set aside his own worries for a second and sat down beside Alec on the bed.

“Your parents are loaded. Why haven’t they helped you?” It was a question that Magnus genuinely wanted to know the answer to.

“You met them, and you said it so yourself. They want to cut spendings for arts programs at schools. There is no way in hell they’re going to financially support a shop that would be all about flowers as a form of artistic expression,” Alec sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “Also, I haven’t talked to them in a year. The only ones who call are Isabelle and my little brother Max.”

Alec paused to take a deep breath, hands twisting in his lap.

“Well, actually my mom called me a while ago, and I never got back to her. But that’s besides the point. The point is, I didn’t mean for you to find out about those plans like this.”

Magnus reached out and grabbed Alec’s hands to give them a comforting squeeze. He felt his heart sink seeing Alec so miserable, having his dream being discovered like it was a dirty secret.

“I’m sorry I overreacted. It’s just… seeing those plans gave me this weird nagging feeling that something was wrong, and I -” He got interrupted by his phone coming to life on the bedside table.

Grabbing for it and making sure the charger was still plugged in, he scrolled through the 12 missed calls from Luke, 7 texts from Simon and 4 missed calls from an unknown number. He dialed Luke instantly, heart pumping and body cold with fear.

Luke picked up almost instantly. “Magnus! Finally. Listen, there’s been an accident at the town square and I… I’ll meet you at the gallery. Just get down here.”

 

***

 

Alec had heard yelling in the background of Luke’s call and as they sped down the road towards the city, he kept glancing at Magnus who had been oddly quiet since he hung up the call.

It had felt nice to finally tell Magnus about the vision of his own shop, however the reaction Magnus had had wasn’t the one he expected. But then again, Alec thought, it must be strange to find out that another person had had plans for your shop.

“What do you think it is?” Magnus finally spoke, voice weak and nervous.

Alec looked at him and had to fight the urge to grab his hand and squeeze it. He shrugged instead, both hands still on the steering wheel, knuckles white from grabbing it tightly.

“I don’t - are those sirens?” Alec began, and as they came free of the trees and saw the town square in front of them, he stepped on the speed.

Two firetrucks - one American and one Canadian - were parked on the town square between the Christmas tree and the town hall. People had crowded around the trucks and there were a lot of cars on the road with their emergency lights on. A cloud of smoke hung above it all and covered for the midday sun.

Stopping the car and rushing out of it to try and find Luke, they covered their noses and mouths with the sleeves of their shirts. Coming closer to the trucks they saw there was no longer any fire, but the building in front of them was still smoking and the bricks were blackened with soot.

“Excuse me Sir, you can’t be this close. I’m going to have to ask you to step back for a minute,” a firefighter came towards them with her hands up. She had black splotches on her cheeks.

“I’m the owner of that building, please let me through,” Magnus’ eyes were fastened on the back of his gallery, gaze fixed on the exterior outlet there no longer was.

“Magnus Bane?” she asked and Magnus nodded absently. She sighed sadly and moved to the side to let him through. Magnus grabbed Alec’s wrist, mumbling something that sounded like _he’s with me_ and strode towards the backside of his gallery.

As they turned the corner and came out onto the main street, Alec felt his stomach drop and something tighten in his chest. He felt Magnus hesitate at his side as they stopped to take in the sight of what was in front of them.

The smoke was less dense here and gave a perfect sight to the glass lying in multiple pieces and shards at their feet, crunching as they stepped closer to get a better look at the havoc inside the building.

Alec heard Magnus gasp shakenly as his eyes caught on the interior the previously beautiful gallery. Everything was blackened with soot, some things still smoking and other things intact but drenched in water. It was unrecognizable and he could hardly tell there had been a well functioning gallery and studio in the burnt out space.

“Shit,” Magnus mumbled and let go of Alec’s wrist. He crouched down and put his head in his hands. “Shit, shit, shit!”

Alec swallowed dryly and resisted a cough as everything tasted of burnt wood. Tears welled up in his eyes at the sight in front of him, unsure if they were caused by the smoke irritating his eyes or the devastating thought of seeing his dream shop in crumbles.

Magnus stood back up and inhaled heavily before coughing a bit. His eyes were red from crying and he wiped his nose. He was about to step closer when Luke showed up with a few town council members on his heels.

“Magnus, are you alright?” Luke’s voice came out caring and mournful. He stopped and reached out a hand to squeeze Magnus’ shoulder lightly. Magnus slumped his shoulders at the gesture and rubbed a hand over his face. He looked at the building once again and started shaking his head.

“What happened?” he asked, despair dripping from his voice.

“A malfunction in the exterior power outlet, it went in through the walls. Set the whole thing on fire within minutes. It’s an old building, and since you recently repainted it everything caught fire pretty quickly,” Luke said. “Kimberly woke up when the glass blew out and called the fire department - both the US and the Canadian. Just to be safe she said. They’re still trying to figure out the legal issues, but you should come with us. We’ll help you with insurance and all that.”

Magnus looked like he was about to keel over from the emotional exhaustion and Alec couldn’t help but sympathize for him. Reaching out to touch his elbow, Magnus turned his head to look at him.

“I’ll see you later?” Alec asked, knowing that he had no place in this kind of legal issues, no matter how much he wished to help.

Magnus nodded briefly before following Luke and the council members into the town hall a little down the street. Alec saw how he kept glancing back over his shoulder as if to check if it was still burnt down and it broke his heart.

“Alec!” he turned around and saw Kimberly stand in the doorway into ‘ _Flora Kimberly_ ’ with a sad smile on her face. She nodded her head and gestured for him to follow her into the shop. With a last glance at the ruined building, he followed her inside as a couple of townspeople began sweeping the shattered glass windows to the sides.

“Kim, are you alright? Luke told us - “ he began, instantly feeling better surrounded by the slightly humid and chill air inside the flower shop.

“I’m fine. Look Alec, I need to tell you something and I realize it might be the shittiest time to break the news.” She looked at him with sad eyes, and Alec could see her biting the inside of her cheek - a nervous tick he’d gotten familiar with in the time he’d know her. For the second time that day he felt his heart stop and cold dread filled his body.

“What is it Kim?” he crossed his arms and looked at her with a frown, trying to understand what she was getting at.

She drew a shaky breath. “I’m moving back to Boston. I’ve sold the shop. I - We’re closing, Alec. I’m sorry.”

 

***

 

“She _what_?” Simon asked, half-yelling and drawing attention from the neighbouring table.

Alec shot him a glare that made Maia chuckle. After having told him she was firing him, Kimberly told him that she’d sold the shop to the store owner next door who wanted to expand his bookstore.

“What are you gonna do now?” Simon asked again as he handed Alec a cup of coffee. Sitting on a barstool by the desk next to Maia, who was filling out official looking papers, he’d found refuge in the warmth of Simon’s coffee house and company.

“I don’t know,” he sighed. “Maybe this is a sign I should go back to DC to begin that politicians career my parents always wanted for me.”

“I could ask Luke if there’s a position for you at the town hall?” Maia suggested, looking up from her scribbles. She bit the end of her pen and tipped her head to one side as if studying his appearance - which she was. “Though you don’t strike me as an indoor type of person, with the scruff and tattoo and all.”

“Oh, you should have seen him when he first moved here. Clean-shaven and holding himself very much like a politician’s son,” Simon said and leaned his hands on the desk to stretch his back. “It didn’t take long before he embraced the outdoors, but honestly, you look good no matter what you do, so…” Simon shrugged and Alec saw the tips of ears turn pink.

“Careful Simon,” Maia warned with a playful smile. “Magnus might get jealous.”

Now it was Alec whose ears turned pink. He shot her a look and she raised her eyebrows innocently before going back to the papers in front of her.

“Oh right, what’s going on with you guys? It looked like you were having fun last night,” Simon grinned and turned his full attention to Alec.

A smirk crept onto his face involuntarily and he looked away from Simon’s questioning eyes. He felt his cheeks burn as he remembered how he and Magnus had kissed last night and again this morning.

“Shut up Simon,” he said as he looked back at him. Simon backed away with his hands up in surrender, knowing smile on his face, as customers started coming in.

“I bet Magnus wouldn’t be too happy if you decided to go back to DC though,” he called out with a teasing wink.

Alec’s smile faltered when Simon turned his back to him. It was just past noon and the day had already turned out to be worse than any he could remember. He truly had no idea what to do without a job, and while Maia’s offer to ask Luke for a vacant position at the town hall was tempting, he couldn’t bear it if he had to go into politics after everything he’d done to get out of it in the first place.

“Hey, you okay?” Maia’s voice was low and concerned and he felt a light hand on his shoulder. Looking at her he suddenly missed his sister and the comfort she used to bring him with similar gestures.

“I will be. It’s just a lot to take in,” he said and she nodded, understanding not to press further.

 

***

 

“Simon told me about the bookstore expansion,” Magnus voice was quiet, uncertain, in the stillness of the flower shop. It seemed as though the events of the early morning had put a damper on everyone and everything in the small town.

Alec popped up from a desk he was crouched under. Upon seeing Magnus his face lit up and it made him smile a little.

“Of course he did, he’s a blabbermouth. How did the meeting go?” Alec asked, diverting what Magnus had said with expertise, walking around the desk to meet him halfway. In his hands were small star shaped flowers and Magnus resisted the urge to ask what they meant. Instead he shrugged and took a deep breath.

“It went well I suppose. My insurance is good and will help me get started again. Catarina has every single backup file from my previous works with her in New York, so the only things I’ve lost are the pictures I took here.” Thinking about it made something in his chest clench uncomfortably and he tried to take another deep breath to make it go away. He kept thinking about the pictures of the sunset he’d witnessed with Alec in the mountains, and his eyes watered when he remembered he’d never be able to recreate such a picture again.

“Hey…” Alec brought him back with a single touch to his shoulder.

“It’s stupid how attached I’d grown to that place,” he shrugged and started to move around the plants.

“It was your home Magnus,” Alec tried and kept still but followed Magnus’ movements with his eyes.

“It was a gallery Alexander,” he retorted, sounding angrier than intended and saw a slight flinch from the other man. Magnus stopped moving next to a sign that read ‘ _Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)’._ He focused on that sign, trying to regain a steady heartbeat and control of his breathing, when he heard Alec shuffle his feet behind him.

“It was still a place where you could be yourself and it was a place that held your passion and your life’s work. Magnus, everything is gone. There’s nothing but digital files left of what you’ve spent most of your life doing!” Alec said loudly, almost angry, seemingly uncaring that his words hurt more than what Magnus let on.

“Don’t you think I know that! Alec, don’t you think I’m losing my mind because I have to start all over? I have to start from _scratch, AGAIN_!” he yelled back, devastation seeping through every word.

Alec visibly softened and took a few steps towards Magnus who didn’t step back. He welcomed the warmth of Alec’s familiar presence, closed his eyes to let it seep through his body and sighed slight relief at the feel of Alec’s hand brushing through the short hairs over his ear.

“I’m sorry, about everything,” Alec murmured and Magnus felt his hot breath on his upper lip. Tipping his chin up slightly, he expected Alec to lean in and kiss him. Instead Magnus noticed a slight chill as he stepped back instead and he opened his eyes to find Alec smiling lopsided at him.

“What?” he asked just as something tickled behind his ear. Reaching up, he found something small and soft tucked behind it and he grabbed it to look at it. Alec had put one of the star-shaped flowers he’d had in his hands behind Magnus’ ears.

“Star of Bethlehem,” Alec said as if it made every kind of sense, but it only made Magnus’ frown grow. “It symbolizes the desire to reconcile.”

Magnus couldn’t help the laugh that escaped his lips. Raising an eyebrow in admiration and nodding his head slightly, he stepped a little closer to Alec.

“You have nothing to apologize for Alexander. None of this is your fault,” he said, resting a hand on Alec’s shoulder before stepping even closer.

“Still… I guess I’m trying to express some kind of sympathy.” Alec smiled somewhat sadly as he placed a loose hand on Magnus’ hip, eyes growing dark for a moment.

Magnus was reminded of the drawings and plans he’d seen at Alec’s this morning. It had been unsettling to see the interior of something _he_ owned hanging in the closet of someone who had been involved with redoing the place, but nonetheless it had been Alec’s dream. He frowned.

“Why didn’t you tell me about your dream?” he asked giving Alec’s shoulder a firm squeeze. “We’ve spent almost every single day for the past month and a half together. You had every opportunity to.”

Alec sighed and turned his head to look away, but Magnus grabbed his chin and guided him back. The smile on his lips could fool anyone but his eyes revealed his sadness.

“I’ve only ever talked to my sister about it,” Alec spoke, causing Magnus’ hand to move along with the movements of Alec’s jaw. They both smiled briefly at that, before Alec sighed and dropped his gaze. “I don’t know Magnus, it just didn’t seem right. But there’s nothing to do about that now, and it doesn’t help to dwell in what _might_ have been.”

Magnus nodded in agreement at that. He met Alec’s gaze and watched as a playful smile crept onto his face when he leaned in to capture Magnus’ lips with his own.

Smiling in to it, Magnus kissed him back with a gentle yet firm press. Standing in the chill shop with air humid and flower-scented and feeling Alec’s cold and soft lips on his, Magnus felt like he could drink this moment and savor it forever. In this moment nothing but them existed. No burned down buildings and no broken dreams, only hope and sweet, sweet kisses. Feeling Alec’s soft woolen sweater in his hands and the bite of his scruff on his chin, he was positive he never wanted this moment to end.

“Alec, I need you to go over - oh!” a light voice broke through their bubble and they pulled away from each other and turned towards the voice. A tall, young woman with curly brown hair dressed in denim overalls and a red knitted sweater stood with a bucket of flowers in her hands, the pink of the petals matching the pink of her cheeks.

“Oh, uh… Kim this is Magnus, Magnus this is my boss Kimberly,” Alec made a quick introduction, a pink blush covering his cheeks as well.

“Well, not boss any more, so… a friend I guess,” Kimberly strode towards them, reaching a hand out for Magnus to take, balancing the bucket of flowers on her hip.

“It’s nice to meet you Kimberly, I’m Magnus,” he grabbed her hand and shook it firmly.

“Oh, I know,” she chuckled and mouthed a word in Alec’s direction before looking back at Magnus. “I’m sorry to have to cut this short, but Alec has work to do and I’m not paying him to smooch the customers, no matter how pretty they are.”

Stunned at her words and the smug look she’d sent him, Magnus turned towards Alec who looked just as baffled as him. He cleared his throat to cover for a laugh that was trying to escape.

“Yes ma’am,” Magnus said and waited until Kimberly had left them again before pecking Alec on the lips, trying hard not to let himself linger too long. “Luke said he’d get me a room at the Inn. Join me for dinner?”

Feeling Alec’s cold nose against his own as he nudged his chin up to draw him in for another kiss, he nodded and let himself linger a little longer before Kimberly called for Alec again.

 

***

 

Locking up the shop Alec looked over at the burned down building across from ‘ _Flora Kimberly_ ’ and felt a sting in his chest at the sight. It looked miserable and empty, and yet, the sight made it easier for Alec to not dwell in what it _could have_ been. Double checking he’d locked the door, he started to make his way to the Inn.

The Inn was located 10 minutes of walking distance from the town square and had perfect access to the lake with a few boats in tow at a wooden bridge. In the summer the place was a perfect spot for fishing and some even dared to swim in the cold water.

The wind had left his hair windblown and as he stepped into the warmth of the lobby and he raked a hand through it to try and settle it. The wind had picked up over the afternoon and Alec remembered the last time it had done so and how it had brought Magnus into his life and he couldn’t help but wonder if this storm had something new for him as well.

He nodded a brief hello to the Innkeeper at the desk before walking into the seating area where he spotted Magnus instantly with his phone to his ear.

“I’ll call you back. Say hi to Dot,” Magnus hung up and shoved the phone into his jacket that hung around the back of his chair. He shot Alec a smile and leaned forward on his elbows as Alec sat down.

“How was the rest of you shift? Did you _smooch_ any other customers after I left?” Magnus asked, a playful twinkle in his eyes.

Alec scoffed. “Please. I only have eyes for you,” he said, watching how Magnus’ eyes widened and felt his own heart speed up. He cleared his throat, realizing the weight of the words he’d spoken, and tried to change the subject.

“Who was that on the phone just now?” he asked and relaxed when Magnus took the bait.

“Catarina. She wants me to come back to New York, but I bet she only says that because she misses me,” Magnus looked lost in his own thoughts, a small smile on his lips, before he turned his focus to Alec who smiled gently in return.

“Will you?” Alec asked, feeling brave for asking and yet fearing the answer.

Magnus’ eyebrows furrowed and his small smile grew bigger. “I don’t think so, I’m not quite done with this place.”

The Innkeeper came to their table to place a candle on between them. He hesitated before turning towards Magnus.

“I’m sad to hear about your shop Magnus. I know how hard you worked on it. How hard both of you worked on it,” he said looking between the two of them.

“Me too Frank, but what’s done is done. Maybe this is the kind of change the town needs,” Magnus shrugged. Alec looked in bewilderment how Magnus in such a short time had gotten on a first name basis with almost everyone.

“A lot of change is coming to town then. My husband and I are selling, moving to somewhere closer to our grandchildren. Don’t wanna miss out on them growing up. We don’t trust our daughter to cook for them. It’s nothing like their granddad’s would have taught them. What can I get for you boys?”

But Alec had stopped paying attention at the word ‘selling’, his mind already spinning, wheels turning in his head. Magnus had to call his name twice to draw his attention back.

“I ordered you a burger. Where did you go?” Magnus asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Nowhere, sorry. I’m back,” he said refocusing on Magnus and the way the candle cast flickering shadows onto his face and settling into an easy-going conversation that didn’t touch the topic of what had happened over the past 24 hours, but more importantly Magnus didn’t press him to tell where his mind had gone off to.

Alec had gone to a place, an idea of a shop forming in his head, more vivid than anything he’d ever drawn on paper and written on sheets. He’d gone to a place full of light, wooden floors and wooden wall, a place where plants of every shape and flowers in every color were in full bloom all year round. A place where he’d truly set his mark and truly do what he always felt he was meant to do.

 

***

 

Alec was distant for most of their dinner, yet Magnus couldn’t find it in him to ask him what was going on. Instead he picked up the conversation they’d had just before leaving the table, where Alec had pondered upon not having been to the movies for almost an entire year.

“What do you say we take a weekend off when everything has calmed down a little? We could cross the border and find a drive-inn to go see a movie?” Magnus asked, drawing Alec back out of his own thoughts. He looked startled at first, but then the words seemed to sink in and he relaxed.

“That sounds nice.” Alec said as they came to a stop outside Magnus’ room. Opening the door he let out a tired sigh before turning around to face Alec. He was scared how he already felt like he needed Alec next to him when he slept. It was no secret to himself, that the two nights he’d spent with Alec were the two nights he’d slept the best since coming here.

Alec stood leaned in the doorway, halfway inside the scarcely decorated single-bed room. Standing close enough to feel Alec’s shallow breath on his nose and to see the pupils in his hazel eyes dilate, Magnus tried not to give in to the temptation of dragging him into the room.

Instead they kept standing there, taking each other in in the quiet of the hallway where oil burners hung on the walls and cast a warm, golden glow all over. Magnus swore he could get lost in the wonders of Alec’s eyes as he watched them turn from bright hazel, to green and to dark brown. Realizing how close they were standing he finally reached out a hand to his neck, letting his thumb caress the tattoo on it before drawing him closer.

Just as he felt the lightest touch of Alec’s lips against his own, the sound of a loud laughter and a door opening broke them apart and had Alec turning his head towards the sound in a matter of second. Across the hall from Magnus’ a room, a door opened and a man stepped out closely followed by a laughing woman.

Cold shivers ran down Magnus’ spine as he recognized both of them but confusion clouded his mind because he never expected to see them together.

Luke stepped out and froze in his tracks while the smile on his face faltered, and the woman behind him peeked over his shoulder, her face going white as a ghost’s at the sight in front of her.

With her dark hair hanging loosely around her shoulders, he face bare of any make-up and wearing something as mundane as a plaid shirt and a pair of denim jeans, she looked anything but the politician’s wife she had when he’d last seen her.

Alec came to life next to him, taking a shaky breath followed by the look of utter disbelief on his face.

“Mom?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter updates will be on Thursdays.
> 
> As always, if you have comments, praise or thoughts please don't hesitate to come say hi on tumblr: [alecsgideon](https://alecsgideon.tumblr.com/)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Maryse returns and decisions are made!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am honestly so overwhelmed by the positive feedback and comments I continue to receive for this. Thank you all so much!
> 
> Once again thanks to [Jay](http://softmagnusbane.tumblr.com/) for beta-ing!

_By the cracks of the skin I climbed to the top_  
_I climbed the tree to see the world_  
_When the gusts came around to blow me down_  
_Held on as tightly as you held onto me_

\- To Build A Home, The Cinematic Orchestra

* * *

“Alec,” her voice was soft, reminding Alec of his childhood. She looked surprised to him standing there in the hallway, her expression causing frustration to well up his stomach. He didn’t know how to react to seeing his mother for the first time in over a year with a man Alec had considered a close friend during that time.

“Alexander.” Magnus pulled him out of his own head and Alec became aware of the silence in the hallway and the fact that Magnus had his hand on his lower back, tapping his fingers lightly to keep him grounded.

“I don’t -” Alec began and found he couldn’t find words to complete his sentence. His thoughts were jumbled and something in his chest clenched as the feeling of three sets of worried eyes on him made it difficult for him to breathe.

He wasn’t usually one for taking the easy way out, but this made him shuffle his feet until he was nearly running out of the Inn, not caring that he left the odd tension between the rest of the three.

Stepping outside in the cold night, he felt the tension in his chest loosen taking a deep breath. The cold air felt like a sharp pain down his throat but he welcomed the distraction from his wild running mind.

The door to the Inn opened and closed behind him and he didn’t know who he hoped it would be, but he couldn’t help the disappointment that came with his words when Luke spoke.

“Are you okay?” he asked and walked around Alec to face him. His brows were furrowed with concern and his arms were crossed to shield him from the cold.

“What is she doing here?” Alec stuck his hands into his jacket pockets and started to fiddle with the with rose bud he was supposed to have given to Magnus before their dinner.

“I shouldn’t be the one to tell you that Alec,” Luke said. “I’m sorry you had to find out about this like that.”

Alec nodded. He remembered Luke saying that he and Maryse used to be good friends, that he found comfort in the blinding smile Maryse had had on her face just before the situation went haywire.

“She wants to talk to you,” Luke said again and Alec lifted his head to meet his gaze. He sighed and nodded again, feeling slightly defeated knowing that he wouldn’t be able to keep his mother at bay for the rest of his life, no matter how much he wished he could.

“I know,” Alec sighed and closed his eyes, trying to calm the thoughts that kept drifting back to the shock on his mother’s face and the feel of Magnus’ fingers on his lower back. “I’ll do it tomorrow.”

Luke squeezed his shoulder comfortingly and suddenly the age gap between them felt so much bigger than before, Alec could see why Maia saw Luke as a father figure. He shook his head to rid himself of that train of thought, and looked back at Luke who was watching him carefully.

“Stay warm Alec.” Giving Alec’s shoulder one last comforting squeeze, Luke walked back inside and left Alec out in the cold.

 

***

 

The silence between the two of them was heavy and laden with an awkward tension neither of them knew how to break. Debating whether or not he should withdraw to his room, well aware that the mother of the man he was falling in love with slept just across the hall, Magnus felt himself hesitate.

“I didn’t expect to see you here Mr. Bane,” Maryse’s voice was slightly apologetic yet unmistakably professional. “With my son of all people.”

Turning around to face her -putting on the exterior of a business man rather than the face of a man who was seconds away from getting caught making out with her son- Magnus nodded slightly.

“I must say I didn’t expect that either Mrs. Lightwood,” the name brought memories of stone cold eyes and firm orders from when he had taken their portraits months ago. “Yet here we are.”

The conversation between them stilled and the hallway got quiet again. He snuck a glance at her and marveled in how different she looked from all those months ago. Dark hair loose and unstyled and eyes wide with some kind of nervous expression he never thought he’d see in the eyes of the steadfast Maryse Lightwood.

“I don’t think I’ve ever told you how much I liked the pictures you took of us,” she said, surprising Magnus to the core because no, she’d never said that. “Especially the ones you took of Isabelle when she came to you herself. They were beautiful.”

Staring at her, wide eyed in surprise, Magnus found for the first time that he was out of words to say to her. She took it as a sign to continue talking.

“I wish - I wish Alec had been with us that day,” Maryse said, her eyes going wet and full of regret. Magnus found she was easy to read when she’d opened up a little. “I’ve done wrong by him in so many ways.” She breathed out a self deprecating laugh.

“Don’t say that,” Magnus found himself saying. “He’s a great man with great dreams, and he’s a - a good friend.” Not knowing what to label the thing going on between them. He saw a smile spread on Maryse’s face and her shoulders relax a little.

“I think he’s a little more than that,” she said, her smile suddenly faltering before frowning a little. “I’m sorry, it’s not my place to talk like that.” Her eyes drifted from Magnus and to the approaching figure down the hallway.

Magnus’ heart sank a little at the sight of Luke without Alec following behind. He came to a stop when he reached them, standing a little closer to Maryse’s side than Magnus’ and he made a mental note to ask Luke about that some time soon.

“Alec went home. I think we should all get some rest. It’s been a long day for all of us.”

Maryse nodded and bid them goodnight, her gaze lingering on Luke a little before closing the door and leaving the two men alone. Magnus turned towards Luke and instantly raised his eyebrows.

“What the hell?” he asked immediately, a smirk playing on his lips.

Luke rolled his eyes, obviously not up to answering any of Magnus’ questions.

“You should call Alec,” he said instead, sending Magnus a warm smile.

“Did he tell you that?” a smile crept onto his face and joy fluttered in his chest, the words Maryse had spoken still vivid in his mind.

“No, I’m telling you to.”

 

***

 

The phone buzzed with an incoming call the minute he lay down on his bed in a clean shirt and a pair of sweats. Having been home for 30 minutes, he’d been reminded of the events earlier in the day as his closet door with the drawings was still open wide and the clothes Magnus had borrowed was spread out on the bed, hastily removed as they’d hurried out the door this morning. Somehow the accident seemed to have happened much longer ago with so many things happening all at once.

Answering the phone blindly, he put it on speaker and covered his head with his arms, suddenly overcome with exhaustion. “Hello?”

“Alexander,” Magnus voice came out a little scratchy from the phone, but the sound of it still made Alec’s heart flutter. He removed his arms from his head and picked up the phone to draw Magnus’ voice closer to him.

“Magnus, hey… sorry I left like that,” Alec sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He’d realized the minute he sat in his car that he hadn’t properly said goodbye to him.

“Don’t worry about it,” Magnus said softly. “I understand how strange it must have been.”

“Strange doesn’t begin to cover it,” he chuckled and frowned to himself before speaking again. “I never hated them, you know?”

“No?”

“No. Growing up they were loving and caring, but something happened when my dad was elected into the House of Representatives. I told them I didn't want to go into politics, but they just laughed it off. Especially my dad. And I never actually stuck around to get their opinion on me . I just sort of left.”

Alec heard Magnus chuckle at that and it brought a smile to his face.

“I just hated the idea of becoming someone I didn’t feel comfortable as. So I just… I left DC and I never looked back. But now it seems like I have to.”

Magnus was quiet for sometime, the only sound coming from the phone was the static noise.

“What if you don’t?” Magnus said, sounding lost in his own thoughts.

“Hm?” Alec asked not entirely sure what he meant.

“What if you don’t look back? What if you both decide it’s best to move forward?”

Alec let that sink in and found it hard to think that his mother, the fierce and strong Maryse Lightwood, would agree to let bygones be bygones. He groaned at the thought of facing the Maryse Lightwood he’d seen in newspapers, strolling down the halls of the Capitol, demanding anything and everything. However it was the Maryse - his mother, the woman who had raised him and cared for him - he was sure had seen standing before him tonight.

“Maybe,” Alec sighed, desperate to change the subject. “What are your plans for tomorrow?”

Now it was Magnus who groaned and shuffled. Alec pictured him lying the bed in his room at the Inn, frowning at the ceiling.

“I’d rather not think about tomorrow. What are you doing right now?” Magnus asked.

“I’m in bed. You called me almost as soon as I got home,” Alec smiled at the ceiling. “You?”

“I’m in bed too. Today was exhausting,” he sighed and Alec mumbled in agreement, not wanting to dwell too much in it all. “Am I being too forward by saying that I wish I was in your bed instead of this one?”

A warm feeling blossomed in Alec’s chest and he couldn’t help the involuntary blush that spread across his cheeks.

“I wish you were here too,” he answered, not because it felt like the right thing to say, but because it was the truth. He turned on to his side to face where the phone was lying by his side. A sense of longing for the other that only seemed to grow the longer they spoke.

“Is that an invitation?” Alec could practically _hear_ the smug smile across Magnus’ face and it made him laugh.

“It might be. You may take me up on that someday,” Alec retorted equally smug and tried to ignore the galloping of his heart.

“Maybe I will,” Magnus sighed and yawned loudly followed by a mumbled _sorry_.

 _I hope you will_ , Alec thought and stretched out on the bed, his hands grazing the soft fabric of the sweater Magnus had borrowed.

“Goodnight Alexander,” he heard Magnus mumble, half asleep already.

“Goodnight Magnus,” Alec said, as neither of them pressed ‘end call’, and with Magnus’ sweater pressed against his chest, the sound and scent of him filling his senses, he could easily fool himself to believe Magnus was right there next to him.

 

***

 

“Ready to do this?” Magnus asked as they were standing outside of Simon’s coffee house looking in. It was a lazy Sunday and it was visible through the scarce amount of customers.

“Might as well get it over with,” Alec sighed, eyes fixed on Maryse who sat reading at one of the tables in the back of the room, Magnus turned to face Alec, stepping into his space and breaking him away from his intense staring.

The sun shone brightly overhead heating up their cold cheeks. They’d walked together from the Inn where Alec had picked Magnus up, too nervous to eat or drink anything.

“It might not be as bad as you think it is. Listen to what she has to say. You might be surprised,” he said and reached up to fix Alec’s collar.

“You say that as if you know what she’s going to say.” Alec shot him a questioning look and Magnus waved a deflecting hand.

“Just… trust me?” Magnus asked, almost scared to know the answer, and Alec nodded, raising his hand to Magnus scarf.

“A kiss for good luck?” Alec asked a little shyly and Magnus was happy to rid his face of the nervous expression as he leaned in to kiss him soundly.

He watched as Alec walked into the coffee shop, waving a short hello to Simon at the counter before hesitantly going to stand by Maryse’s table before sitting down. Maryse looked almost as nervous as her son and it made Magnus chuckle silently to himself.

“Magnus, Hey!” Maia’s voice drew his eyes away from watching Alec and his mom, and he turned to face her as she came walking down the street with a box in her hands. Dressed in a long beige coat, brown, woolen boots, and matching green gloves and scarf, she didn’t look much like an explorer.

 _Explorer_. In all the haze of yesterday’s devastating accident and the tiresome meeting with Luke at the town hall, followed by an intense ending to a warm dinner with Alec, it had slipped his mind that Maia was on her way to Antarctica and she’d said they were in need of a photographer.

“Maia, dear, just the one I was looking for.” Looping his arm through hers, he led them to a bench and sat down.

 

***

 

“Hi… mom,” the words felt strange coming out of his mouth after so long. Maryse looked up, having apparently not seen him coming in, and a nervous expression on her face.

“Alec,” she breathed, stunned for a minute before coming to life again and gestured to the seat in front of her. “Please, sit - sit down.”

He sat and watched his mother who looked nothing like the woman in the newspapers and more like the woman who raised him, grasping onto that he leaped into the conversation - open-minded and open-hearted.

“How, uh, how are you?” Asking her such a mundane question almost broke her by the look of tears welling up in her eyes. She smiled a watery smile.

“I’m well, Alec. Thank you,” she said and rested her elbows on the table, leaning forward ever so slightly. “And you?”

“I’m good. I’m really good,” because despite not knowing what to do with his life at the moment, he had never felt more happy and content. He had friends who cared about him, a town he felt more at home in than anywhere else in the world, and he had Magnus.

Maryse reached her left hand on top of Alec’s that were resting on the table and gave them a comforting squeeze.

“That makes me so happy,” she said, her hand never leaving his.

He looked down and at them and frowned. There was something about her left hand that nagged his brain and in a wild moment he grabbed her hands and turned them between his.

“Where’s your wedding ring?” Looking at her wide-eyed, he was surprised to see how calm she was and even more perplexed when she started to smile.

Maryse slumped her shoulders slightly and dropped her smile as she met Alec’s eyes.

“I’ve divorced your father,” she said firmly and let go of his hands, Alec found that he wasn’t as surprised as he probably should have been. She leaned back and reached over her chair back and into her bag, pulling an envelope out and sliding it across the table to Alec.

“This is for you Alec,” she said quietly and tapped it lightly with her finger. “Open it.”

He did what she told him to and opened the envelope gingerly, still trying to wrap his mind around what she had just told him. With a dazed and hazy mind he read over the contents of the envelope, feeling all color draining from his face and his breath hitched.

“What’s this? Why are you giving me this?” With a racing heartbeat ringing in his ears, he barely managed to croak out his question.

In his hands he held a cheque written in his mother’s name and addressed to him with a soaring amount of 100,000 dollars.

“I know it doesn’t excuse anything I’ve ever done, or rather _haven’t_ done for you, Alec, but I hope it’ll be the push you need to get going with that dream of yours,” Maryse said as if she hadn’t just handed him the single thing he has needed for the past year.

“How did you know about that?” The frown on his face growing deeper by the second, and eyes still fixed on the cheque in his hands, Alec couldn’t keep track of the thoughts and questions racing through his mind.

“Mr. - _Magnus_ said you were a man with dreams,” she corrected herself, and Alec was reminded that they’d met before. “He’s a good man Alec, and I can see how much you both mean to each other. I saw the way he made you smile a few minutes ago. You looked positively radiant and -”

“Okay mom, that’s enough,” blushing, he looked away and out the window. He saw Magnus sitting on a bench with Maia, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Feeling Alec’s gaze, he looked up and met his eyes with a small smile, sadness in his eyes. “We’re just friends. For now, at least. We haven’t talked about it.”

“You say ‘just friends’ as if I don’t remember what it’s like being young and in love,” Maryse said and Alec eyes darted back to her.

“With Dad?”

“No,” she said with regret visible in her dark eyes. “Before I met your father I was with another man, nothing serious, though, I knew I was in love. My parents didn’t find him suitable for me. So they set me up with Robert, and I thought I was in love but it was never the same. For a long time I did love your father, but it was a lot of small things all piled up on each other that made me aware that I was no longer happy with him. You leaving us was the last straw.”

Alec felt guilty and looked away, trying to find a spot on the table to ground himself on. He chose to focus on the floral print of the tablecloth.

“Why didn’t you tell me? Does Izzy know? And what about Max?” he asked mumbling.

“Max knows. He understands. He’ll be back with us in the summer, and we’ve agreed that he should stay in DC where schooling is better.” Alec nodded - it made sense. “Isabelle was the first to know of my decision. I had her promise not to tell you anything. That’s why I called a few months ago. To let you know that we were officially divorced,” she said. Feeling his reluctance to look up, she reached for his hands. “Are you angry?”

He looked up and into her warm, familiar eyes and found that he couldn’t be. He shook his head and squeezed her hand back.

“No. Just a little overwhelmed. Why did you come here?” he finally asked, the question having been on his mind since the night before.

She sighed deeply. “I wanted to wait until everything had settled in with the divorce papers - hence the cheque. We sold the penthouse in New York and the country house in the Hamptons. There’s only the family estate in DC, but that one is legally yours after your father’s passing. Until then there’s nothing more we can do.”

“You really cut all ties to him, huh? Apart from us.” he asked, a little proud of her because it was no secret that the Maryse Lightwood she was around Robert Lightwood was a mask. She smiled a watery smile, clearly relieved at Alec’s reaction.

“I can’t take this,” Alec said finally and held up the cheque in an incredulous move. He shook his head gently.

Maryse reached her hand to his cheek and gently dragged her thumb over his scruff, something that made her nose scrunch up as she smiled.

“Yes you can. I want you to take them. I care about your happiness, and I know this is your dream and so I want you seize it!” Her words held a certain weight to it, but Alec was happy to take it.

Maryse fell back in her chair, looking more relaxed and relieved than Alec could ever remember seeing her. They settled into a comfortable silence and Alec let it all sink in. The fact that his mom was here, the news of his parents’ divorce and the _cheque_.

“I’m so sorry Alec,” Maryse said and leaned on the table again to look him in the eyes. Her brown eyes deep with regret yet again.

“For what?” He shook his head in slight confusion.

“For not listening,” she simply said and grabbed his hands again.

“I never told anyone but Izzy. You had no way of knowing.” He was beginning to see that a part of realizing your dream was to share the idea with others.

“There are other ways to listen,” she said and he nodded in lack of anything more to say.

His eyes drifted to Magnus who sat outside, alone now that Maia had left him, basking in the sunlight with his eyes closed.

“Do you mind?” He asked, his eyes still on Magnus.

“Do I mind what?” she asked kindly, something in her voice telling that she knew what he was hinting at.

“That I like men. That I like Magnus,” with a galloping heart and warm cheeks he turned to face her and was met with a blinding smile from her.

She rose from her seat and walked to crouch beside him. He turned in his seat to face her as she looked up at him teary eyed yet again. His heart ached as she looked like a mother comforting her young son - which in some ways she was.

“No,” her tone warm and comforting - like the blanket she’d tug him in during the harsh winters in his childhood. “I know I’m going to love whoever you choose to spend your life with. No matter who they are.”

Alec couldn’t help the tear that rolled down his cheeks, but she was quick to wipe it away and pull him up out of his seat and into a hug.

 

***

 

“I need to tell you something.” Magnus sat next Alec on the couch, their shoulders leaning against each other and feet resting on the coffee table. A movie was playing on the TV, but Magnus didn’t pay much attention, his mind going 110 miles an hour.

Alec quirked his head, eyes glimmering with underlying joy, something his whole demeanor had seemed to do since his conversation with his mother earlier that day. He tore his eyes away from the sparkling hazel and stood up, feeling the chill on his shoulder as he walked in front of the TV.

Pacing the floor but keeping an eye on Alec he saw how his expression turned from joyous to curious to confused while a small smile played on his lips.

“Maybe the fire was a sign. Maybe it was a good thing the place burned down, or else I might never have done it,” Magnus blurted out and stopped pacing, facing Alec as he did.

“What do you mean?” he asked, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, a worried frown on his face. They hadn’t talked about the fire at all since the day before. They’d spent the afternoon at Alec’s trading careful words - Magnus trying not to burst out what he’d been talking to Maia about, and Alec for something Magnus wouldn’t push him into talking about.

With a pounding heart and shallow breath he pulled Alec up from the couch and grasped his hands tightly. He didn’t know why, but he felt his heart break at what he was about to say.

“I’m going with Maia. I’ve taken the job. I leave tomorrow. Alexander, I’m going to _Antarctica_.” A breathless laugh escaped him as if he couldn’t quite believe the words coming out of his mouth. Alec’s face twisted in confusion for a minute before something clicked inside him and his eyes grew wide with excitement.

“Magnus, that’s great!” Alec exclaimed and before long he was being hurled into a tight embrace by him, arms grabbing tightly around his shoulders. At first it was an embrace that spoke of the excitement Alec felt on behalf of Magnus, but it soon turned into something else and they stayed like that for a while until Alec almost reluctantly let go of him.

Something in Alec’s expression had changed and he no longer looked excited but almost disappointed. Magnus felt that too, the disappointment of almost having something and then having to let it go, but he knew that if he didn’t go on this expedition he would never be able to set his heart free.

“I have to do this. For me,” Magnus said, a hand on Alec’s cheek and the other on the small of his lower back.

“I know,” Alec whispered and leaned into the touch of Magnus’ warm hand. He sighed quietly and turned his head to kiss the palm of the hand. Magnus pulled him closer and kissed him with a firm press on his lips, letting the action speak louder than his words could. _I wish we’d had more time_.

 

***

 

It was raining the morning after, which to Alec’s surprise didn’t seem strange to him as the weather seemed to control his life. He’d helped Magnus pack his things, which was as easy said as done since he’d lost most of his things in the fire. It meant that Magnus had slept in Alec’s clothes while they’d washed the ones he’d been wearing. It meant that they’d spent the night talking about anything and nothing, waiting for the sun to rise and for the car to take Magnus back to New York to get him signed up for medical testings, doctors appointments and acquiring equipment for the expedition.

They were standing on the sidewalk at the start of the town’s main street as neither of them wanted to be close to the devastation sight of the burned down shop. Simon and Luke were with them, but stood a few steps back to give them privacy if they needed it.

“It’s three months, yeah?” Alec asked nervously, holding the umbrella between them and feeling Magnus shiver slightly next to him.

“Technically four. It’s scheduled to end mid-April,” Magnus nodded and looked at Alec who nodded.

“I’ll be here,” Alec said, voice frail and quiet, almost drowning in the persistent padder of rain on the umbrella. “Just… if you want to stop by before heading out for your next adventure.”

They had never defined this unspoken thing between them, but looking at the way Magnus was looking at him he knew that what he was feeling, what he was starting to feel, wasn’t just him.

Magnus kissed him with a frantic eagerness, as if he wanted to memorize the feel of Alec’s lips and breath against him. Alec kissed him back with the same vigor until it settled and became gentle and deep.

A black car approached, honked and Alec stepped back to let Magnus say his goodbyes to Simon and Luke. They exchanged a few words, but Alec mostly focused on the rain falling and hitting the pavement of the street.

Stepping under his umbrella again, Magnus pressed one final lingering kiss to Alec’s lips before whispering a goodbye. Magnus had only just closed the door to the car before Alec knew he would miss Magnus Bane more than he’d missed anything before.

“C’mon Alec, you have a lot to do,” Simon squeezed his shoulder and Alec nodded absentmindedly, eyes following the car until it disappeared in the horizon.

 

***

 

“It’s going to be a long drive, Mr. Bane. Let me know if you need anything,” a distant yet familiar voice said. Magnus put on his seatbelt and sat back in his seat. I caught the eye of the driver in the rearview mirror and he frowned.

“David? What a coincidence!” Magnus recognized the man who had driven him to the town, and found himself taken aback at the thought of that only being a few months ago.

“It’s good to see you again Sir, you look well if I may take that liberty,” the driver said and pulled away from the curb. “Did you enjoy your stay at home? With your family?”

A flicker of anxiety struck Magnus as the car started to move faster down the street. He turned in his seat to look out the rear window and found Alec, Simon and Luke looking in his direction, hands raised in a wave.

It was strange how David’s words rung in his head as if he knew what Magnus had been feeling towards this little group of people in this little town. He wasn’t used to feeling so attached to people and places, having spent much of his life moving around from country to country, meeting new people everywhere he went. Home and family were two words that meant various things. Home was a tent, a worn-down hotel room or a cold loft. Family was a group of hikers, a research team or a doctor and her tarot card-reading girlfriend.

This time was different. Home wasn’t a burned down apartment on top of a shop that had functioned as a gallery and studio. Home was a town surrounded by trees and towering mountains, and warm, hazel eyes that sparkled when the sun hit them. Family wasn’t friends who could be reached with a press of a button on a phone. Family was a collection of customers, a talkative barista, an ex-cop-turned-mayor, an old lady and her poodle and a florist with tiny scratches on his calloused hands and hints of dirt under his fingernails on long fingers.

Smiling a little to himself he turned back around and looked out on the moving landscape. The colors were bland and filled him with nothing but coldness. Something he would have to get used to for the next 4 months.

“Yes, I enjoyed it very much.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little note: I will be out of the country and away from all social media platforms, which means that the last chapter wont be published until the **7th or 8th of February**. 
> 
> As always, if you have comments, praise or thoughts please don't hesitate to come say hi on tumblr: [alecsgideon](https://alecsgideon.tumblr.com/)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we fast forward 3 months!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are! The _final_ chapter *sniff* It's been an absolute journey for me to write this, and I'm so happy the way it turned out. I couldn't have done it without the encouragement I got from all of your comments - both here and on tumblr. I cherish them all with all that I am!
> 
> Fun fact: I went to Old Town Alexandria, VA over my vacation and I almost broke down _sobbing_ because of the sight that hit me as we drove down King Street. Anyways, see for yourself [here](http://www.ccdc.edu/wpeng/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/old-town-alexandria.jpg) and tell me that that isn't Main Street - only wider and much more busy.
> 
> A big thanks and hugs and kisses to [Jay](http://softmagnusbane.tumblr.com/) for helping beta-ing and being the first to ever comment and freak out over the chapters before they're released to the public. It's been a joy to work with you <3

_Where the doors are moaning all day long_  
_Where the stairs are leaning dusk 'till dawn_  
_Where the windows are breathing in the light_  
_Where the rooms are a collection of our lives_  
_This is a place where I don't feel alone_  
_This is a place that I call my home_

 _-_ That Home, The Cinematic Orchestra

* * *

 

 ***

**_Three months later_**

_***_

 

The first days of spring always relieved Alec of some of the darker thoughts winter brought him as the sun would shine just a little brighter with each day passing, and today the sun shone brighter than it had in months. The sky was blue, the birds were building nests, chirping as they flew around, making him dizzy as he watched them. While there were still splotches of melted snow on the ground, causing muddy puddles to form, spring was arriving and so were the new sprouts of plants and colors and all of it made Alec smile.

The sun shone in through the big windows facing the lake and the mountains, casting its bright and early morning light onto the broad leaves and colorful flowers around him and for a moment he was lost in thought, completely enraptured by the beauty around him.

“Alec, delivery is here!” his mother’s voice cut through his hazy mind and he turned around. She stood with a clipboard in one hand and a phone in the other, the crinkles around her eyes deep as she smiled.

He nodded and put down the watering can and walked the narrow paths of his shop to where she stood at the backdoor.

 _His shop_. The words still made butterflies flutter in his stomach and giddiness surged through his body, which was more than enough to make him smile when his fingers grazed the brick walls of the shop.

It had taken a month and a half to fix everything inside the old Inn and turn it into the flower shop of Alec’s imagination. With the help of his mother and Simon, along with a handful of towns people, they had gotten it up and running in almost no time.

“Why don’t you go through the flowers and I’ll sort the other plants?” Walking side by side with his mother they went to greet the delivery man while Maryse listed all the things they still needed to sort out.

“We still have a lot of red roses left from Valentine’s Day. I know you had them dried, but they’re just sitting there, taking up storage in the attic. Do you have something planned for them?”

A warm blush went to his cheeks and he smiled to himself before laying a hand on his mother’s arm. “I’ve got it under control, don’t worry. They’ll be out of the way by this afternoon.”

It took them most of the morning to unload the delivery truck, making sure everything was accounted for and for them to put everything where it needed to go.

It frightened him in a good way how well he’d adapted to being the one giving orders instead of taking them, and while hiring his mother to occasionally help out might not have been the best idea considering she turned out to be quite the headache, it was still nice to have her around.

With her came Luke, who came everyday around noon to join them - or rather Maryse - for lunch while Alec tended to the shop. Simon stopped by with coffee once in a while, bought a few plants for his shop and made sure to let Alec know how amazing he was doing.

Caught in a ray of sunshine that broke though the clouds, Alec tipped his head back to let the warm light graze his face and neck. The muffled laughter of his mother and Luke from the secluded gardens calmed him. Knowing that his mother was happy was somehow enough to make most of his worries go away. And that’s why he was unaware of the approaching footsteps.

“Alec?” He spun around, surprised to hear his name being spoken like that again.

Kimberly stood in the entryway out onto the back porch where Alec was in the midst of watering potted zinnias. Her hair was loose and she wore a woolen sweater that did nothing to hide the bump on her belly. She must have noticed his glance and instinctively she put a hand on her stomach and flashed him a round-cheeked smile.

“One of the reasons I sold the shop,” she shrugged and moved towards him. He met her halfway and hugged her tight enough to let her know she’d been missed.

“It’s good to see you Kim,” he said and she nodded and squeezed his arm. “I guess congratulations is in its place. What brings you to town?”

Kimberly nodded and blushed as she glanced down. She reached into her jean pocket, pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to him. “Saw this in the Boston Herald. I really wanted to tell you how proud I am of you.”

Folding out the torn out page of the paper the first thing Alec saw were the purple, helmet-shaped petals of the logo, a sight that still made his heart jump of excitement, and the next was his mother’s maiden name, _Trueblood,_ drawn in intricate letters. He lost all breath in his lungs because this meant that he had exposure in Boston.

“You made it all the way to Boston, Alec. That’s amazing!” Kimberly shifted her weight from one foot to the other in an excited movement. He looked at her and a smile began to spread on his face.

“Did you do this?” he asked, puzzled at who of his customers might have ties in the Herald. She shook her head, held one hand up and the other to her heart, as if swearing an oath. Then she frowned.

“Do you have any ties to the Morgensterns?” she asked and Alec shook his head confused. He’d heard the name before and knew the Morgenstern family owned almost every paper on the East Coast. “The Fairchilds maybe? I know the daughter, Clary, draws under the Fairchild name. Did she do your logo? How do you know her?”

“Kimberly. You’re doing it again. Breathe. It can’t be healthy for the baby.” He put the piece of paper away, saving it for later inspection and wondering, and gestured with a nod to her belly. “How did that happen?”

“You want me to educate you on sex between a man and a woman?” She folded her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow jokingly.

He rolled his eyes fondly at her. “I know about the Birds and the Bees. You know what I mean Kim.”

“I do.” She sighed and looked around, her eyes landing on a bench. ”Let’s sit down,” she went to sit and he followed. “I met him at the hospice where my grandmother is staying. It’s a very innocent story really. We fell in love, and in the end I didn’t just return to Boston to stay with my family but also to see him. And I’ve always wanted kids, and I don’t care that I’m barely 24 I want this now. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that back when I sold the shop.”

Alec smiled at her and shook his head. He didn’t care about that and frankly he was happy with how everything had turned out - if Kim hadn’t sold the shop, it might not have been so easy to open up his own.

“I’m happy for you Kim.”

 

***

 

The town looked different covered in sprouts and fresh green grass and blooming spring flowers in shades of pink, purple and yellow.

Walking down the Main Street with the few things he owned - a camera and a duffle bag - Magnus felt at peace and breathing in the fresh air filled his body and mind, feeling like he was coming home.

He walked past the burned down shop and was surprised to see how nicely it had been cleaned out. Something in his chest ached seeing the ‘for sale’ sign with a sticker saying ‘sold’ across the original text. Across the street, ‘ _Flora Kimberly_ ’ had been turned into an extension of the bookstore and he was happy to see it thriving.

It felt strange to be back in a town that had been golden and dark when he left, but somehow shone brighter in the spring colors on the ground and the bright light and blue skies above.

Antarctica had been like a dream come true, and at some point during the three months that dream had shifted into something less to do with the roaring winds and planes of ice, and more to do with the calm waters of a lake and the comfortable feeling of home.

It hadn’t taken him many weeks to figure out that that dream also came with hazel eyes and a scruff. That what he wanted was to, maybe, settle down with...

“Magnus! You’re back.” Simon’s chipper voice broke through his train of thoughts as Magnus somehow had ended up inside coffee shop. Simon wiped his flour sprinkled hands in his apon and came to greet him properly with a hug. He looked the same albeit a little paler and more round-faced. “Have you gone to see Alec yet? Where are you staying?”

“I just got here, relax will you? And get me a cup of coffee while you’re at it, and maybe one of those freshly baked cinnamon buns?” He tried to ignore the pounding of his heart at the mention of Alec’s name.

“Of course! And I’m sorry. Mrs. Lightwood keeps telling me to shut up, but sometimes I get so excited I can’t help it.” He worked behind the coffee machine and Magnus found himself mesmerized by his movements until Simon’s words sank in and he frowned.

“Mrs. Lightwood? Maryse Lightwood is still in town?”

“Oh yeah, she pretty much hasn’t left Alec’s side for three months. And for good reason. She kinda needs to make sure her money is well spent.” He placed Magnus’ order in front of him and smiled, awaiting his reaction to his work.

“Simon, you’re making no sense,” Magnus shook his head and sipped his coffee and took a bite of the cinnamon bun. He shivered slightly, it tasted of home. Everything around him seeped of the word _home_ , and Magnus couldn’t help but enjoy it.

“Oh sorry, right you haven’t gone to see Alec yet. So mrs. Lightwood gave Alec some of her divorce money and he decided to go ahead and open up this amazing flower shop slash plant nursery. It’s called ‘ _Trueblood flowers_ ‘, it’s just down the road, you can’t miss it. You should go see him, I’m sure he’d be happy to know you’re back!” Simon blabbered on and waved his hands in the air as he started wiping off the machine.

Simon’s words jumbled around in Magnus’ mind as he tried to untangle the strings of everything he’d just said. Divorce money? Flower shop?

“I don’t know -“ he began, but Simon broke him with an judgemental look.

“Oh come on Magnus, it’s no secret why the shop logo is an Aconitum - a wolf’s _bane.”_ Simon smirked and Magnus felt his cheeks heat up and found himself at loss for words. He left the shop having barely touched his coffee.

 

_***_

 

‘ _Magnus is back_ ’. Holding a box of dried flowers in one hand and his phone in the other while having one foot on the ladder up to the attic and the other firmly planted on the floor of the backroom, Alec was frozen to the bones.

Simon had texted him just as he was about to start rearranging the dried flowers his mother wanted out of the store, but the text had interrupted his routine and the beating of his heart picked up as read the words over and over again.

Magnus was back. Had it already been three months? In between setting up the shop and reconnecting with his mother, he’d had little time to dwell in the thoughts of what could have been if Magnus had stayed.

He’d missed him, that much was sure. He’d missed their conversations and the way Magnus had made him feel. He’d missed his touches, warm eyes and the comforting rumble of his voice, and sometimes all of it combined would haunt him in his dreams.

The bell above the front door rang and drew Alec out of his head long enough to shout to whoever had entered the flower shop in the next room. “I’ll be out in a second!” He began shifting the box from his arm to rest on his leg as he began texting a reply to Simon.

The person in the shop cleared their throat. “I-I just wanted to know how to say ‘I’m back from the ice desert and I really want to take you out to dinner sometime’ in flowers.”

 

***

 

The sun was setting as he stopped to look at the old Inn that no longer looked like an Inn but more like a farmhouse with flower pots and lanterns out front, a small fish basin to one side and a small sculpture fountain to the other.

Above the entrance hung a big wooden sign that showed the stem of an Aconitum bent and shaped to form the letters of two words. The sign read ‘ _Trueblood Flowers_ ’, and the head of the flower had been painted in the upper right corner, just above the ‘s’.

 _A wolf’s bane_ , Simon had said with a knowing look in his eyes. Bane, his last name, a word usually connected to creating ruin and destruction. However, seeing it so subtly painted like this made him smile, knowing it could be connected to something beautiful.

When he walked closer he noticed the poodle basking in the sunlight by the entrance. It lifted it’s head and huffed out something close to a greeting. Magnus smiled and walked past it and into the shop.

A bell rang above his head signaling his arrival and he tried to ignore the heavy pounding of his heart and his shallow breathing. He didn’t know why he was so nervous. He’d been away for years at a time before, and never had he been so nervous to see his friends the way he was nervous to see Alec. He didn’t know what was different from those times to the time now.

“I’ll be out in a second!” Alec’s voice was as familiar as ever and his heart skipped a beat at the thought of seeing him in person again, to feel him and hold him close and Magnus thought to himself _he’s the difference_.

“I-I just wanted to know how to say ‘I’m back from the ice desert and I really want to take you out to dinner sometime’ in flowers.” Magnus stuttered out and immediately heard something crash in the backroom. His breath hitched when he saw a shadow growing on the floor and all of a sudden he stood in front of him. Tall, dark haired and as handsome as ever.

“Magnus,” his name sounding from Alec’s lips caused shivers down his spine, he sighed and his shoulders dropped, the tension caused by traveling for so long releasing at the sound of him. Alec looked like he did three months ago, yet there was something different about him. Something had changed. He stood taller, more proud. His silent leadership loud in the way he held himself. He looked stern except for his broad smile and bright eyes on his face. “Magnus.”

Magnus could tell he was at a loss for words, and Magnus felt the exact same way. So he cracked a smile, shrugged his shoulders in a vague gesture, and that was all it took for Alec to come crashing into his arms.

The sheer force of the embrace lifted him a few inches of the ground and he couldn’t help but bury his face in Alec’s shoulder. The soft woolen sweater smelled just like he remembered Alec - fresh with something earthy to it. He clung to him a little longer when he heard Alec take a deep breath, the warmth of his embrace seeping through the fabric of his coat.

Alec pulled away and Magnus watched as his eyes roamed his face, his hands still on Magnus’ arms. Magnus knew he mirrored the same dumb grin that Alec had on his face, but right now he didn’t care that his feelings were on full display for the man he’d been thinking about for the past three months, he didn’t care that he felt something click and settle inside him, something he’d never thought existed before now.

“You’re back,” Alec breathed and slid his hands down Magnus’ arms to tentatively take his hands into his own. He looked away for a minute to look at their hands before Magnus intertwined their fingers and squeezed.

“Hi.” Magnus simply said, as if it explained why he was standing here again, in the arms of the man he’d been in love with, the man he _was_ in love with.

“Hi.” Alec said in return, a lopsided smile taking shape on his face as his thumb nuzzled Magnus’. Standing like this, smiling and looking into each other’s eyes, it didn’t feel like three months had passed. It felt like no time had passed as familiar and welcomed feelings and thoughts rushed through Magnus’ mind. Thoughts he’d had late at night on the base surrounded by roaring winds and cold walls.

It felt good to be back in a place where the sun warmed your skin and the wind ruffled your hair as a friendly greeting. A place where warmth didn’t only come from the sun, but also from the people who inhabited the town. From Alec.

The silence between them had drawn out for far too long, yet it didn’t make them uncomfortable. There was something laden in the air between them, something so sweet and grounding that didn’t need to be spoken of.

After a while they started to laugh a little and Alec let go of his hands only to scratch the back of his neck as if he suddenly remembered something. He held up a hand and excused himself for a minute before disappearing back where he had come from.

Magnus took his time to look around and smiled as he saw Alec in every corner, every shelf and every surface of the shop. He saw how the details in every decorations were unlike any Magnus had ever seen at ‘ _Flora Kimberly_ ’ or any other florist he’d ever visited.

“I wanna hear all about your trip, but first there’s something I’ve got to show you,” Alec came back carrying a box in his hands, a bright and nervous yet excited smile on his face. He’d rolled the sleeves of his sweater up to his elbows and the pale skin of his forearms was exposed. “Follow me.”

Magnus followed him, eager to know what it was Alec wanted to show him. From what Magnus could remember of the Inn, they we’re currently in what had been the reception area and as they walked the narrow paths, guarded by plants and flowers on each side, he realized they were headed to what had been the wing where the rooms had been.

Everything had been repainted to a soft yellow and the pine tree floors made the area feel so much more spacious and bright. Alec unlocked a door Magnus didn’t remember ever seeing before and pushed it open with his hip, barely containing his excitement.

 

***

 

It had been a long shot to turn the wing with the rooms into one big room for Maryse to live in when done and while it was under construction she had lived with Alec, but at some time during the process she’d stopped coming home after her dinners with Luke and had opted to stay in the spare room he had since Maia had left for the expedition. So ever since opening the shop, the tiny flat had been empty and only occupied with a simple bed, a small kitchen unit and a few partitions for privacy.

And then the fire department had declared Magnus’ shop safe for trespassing and Alec had gone to salvage what he could of what was left from the fire. He’d found a few things and had brought them back to the empty apartment for Magnus if he ever thought about returning to town. And since this afternoon, the apartment also housed several boxes of dried, red roses all put in buckets, making the room glow as the sunset shone in golden streams in through the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the the lake and mountains to one side and the town to the other.

Alec heard Magnus stumble behind him as they walked through the door and into the apartment. Placing the box on the floor to the side, he turned around to face Magnus who had walked further in to the room and was currently looking at the mountains through the windows. The setting sunlight reflecting in the lake cast a golden glow on Magnus, lighting him in such a way that took Alec’s breath away.

“It’s amazing Alec,” he said without turning his eyes away from the view. “Is this where you live now?” There was something the like of disappointment in his tone and Alec stepped closer to him, holding out the set of keys in his hands.

“It’s yours… if you want it.”

Magnus looked at him wide eyed in surprise and then his eyes flickered to the keys in his hands. Alec watched as he licked his lips, seemingly lost in thought, before stepping closer and closing his hand around them, taking them from Alec. He stood with them in his hands, lifting them up and down as if to feel the weight of them.

“Thank you Alexander,” Magnus simply said making Alec frown.

“What? No ‘no I possibly couldn’t do that’?” Alec teased and received a swat on the arm in return along with a fond glare from Magnus. He shook his head and stuck the keys in the pocket of his coat.

“I know you’re going to insist, and frankly I don’t want to waste time with pleasantries. Show me the rest of the place!” Alec laughed - partly because of nerves but also because Magnus’ comment about him insisting had been accurate.

“Alright, I’ll show you the rest tomorrow. The sun is going down, and I want to show you everything.” He pointed out the window where the sun was halfway behind the mountain tops, coloring the sky a deep orange. He stepped closer to Magnus who once again had his eyes towards the sky. The sky reflected in his dark eyes, making them golden in the setting sun and Alec’s breath got stuck in his throat.

He’d been happy to see Magnus standing in his shop looking just as gorgeous as when he had left, yet there had been a calmer energy around him. Alec sensed that something inside him had settled and that something was what made it difficult for Alec to look away from him as he stood there, taking the in the view.

Magnus stayed standing as Alec went to one of the cupboards to pull something out from one of the drawers.

“I managed to get this from the remains of the gallery,” he said, and held out the picture album, the leather inbound scorched at the sides. Magnus turned around, his eyes immediately going to his outstretched hand.

Magnus barked out a short laugh as he saw the picture album knowing well enough what it contained. Looking earnestly at Alec and mindlessly throwing the album onto the bed in the corner, he took his hand instead and tentatively laced their fingers. “They don’t mean a thing anymore.”

Alec smiled, feeling a blush spreading on his cheeks. He cleared his throat, trying to focus on anything but the gold in Magnus’ eyes or the close proximity of his body. He tried hard, but failed as his eyes fell upon the creases caused by the sun on his skin and the goatee around his mouth.

“What are you thinking?” Magnus’ shoulders swayed a little as he stepped closer.

Alec’s mind emptied as he saw Magnus’ eyes flicker to his own lips and his breath ghosted over his upper lip.

“Did you see any penguins?” he blurted out, mentally kicking himself for ruining the moment.

“What?” Magnus looked just as taken aback as Alec felt, and he regretted it immediately as Magnus took a step back.

“I don’t know why I said that,” he added as if it was an apology, and Magnus began to laugh, a sound so pure and clean it made the hairs on Alec’s arm stand on end.

“It’s okay Alexander,” Magnus reassured him. “As a matter of fact I did see penguins. Look, I even got a picture of Maia and I on my- _mmph_!”

Magnus’ lips were as soft as he remembered, and as he kissed him eagerly, he wondered how he’d ever been able to stop before. It was far from their most graceful kiss, but the situation somehow made up for it. Not having kissed Magnus for what felt like forever had them both clutching at each other within seconds, penguins and pictures long forgotten.

It’s wasn’t until they stumbled onto the bed that they slowed down. With Alec hovering above Magnus, excitement and want in his eyes, Magnus propped himself up to rest on his elbows and caught Alec’s bottom lip between his own. Alec reached a hand to cradle his neck as he gently lay them down, careful not to make either of them uncomfortable. They moved together with expertise and precision as if no time had passed between them, and in that moment it seemed like there hadn’t.

 

***

 

They had gone to Alec’s cottage after some time in Magnus’ new apartment. _An apartment he’d gotten from Alec_ , he reminded himself with a sleepy smile. Alec had made him dinner, they’d sat down to talk about the past three months, but somehow they’d ended up in Alec’s bed, clothes discarded throughout the cottage, where they had continued to talk. Magnus knew it was nearing midnight, yet he had never been more awake.

“Can I tell you something?” Magnus spoke quietly as his fingers absentmindedly brushed lightly through the dark hairs on Alec’s chest that had been steadily rising and falling for the past 10 minutes. The only sign he was still awake was the hand drawing patterns on his back.

“Anything.”

Taking a deep breath he steeled himself for the words that were about to leave his mouth, a truth and a feeling he hadn’t spoken of in many years nor ever. “I feel at home.”

Alec’s hand froze for a moment before lying flat on his back, pressing on it as if drawing him closer in a sideways hug. It was a silent gesture of encouraging him to keep talking, one which he gladly took.

“After leaving the base on Antarctica and before coming here, I spent some time in New York to get comfortable surrounded by people. I’d forgotten how loud it could be,” he said, rolling onto his back and momentarily pinning Alec’s arm before taking his hand between his. “I didn’t like it. I thought I just had to get back into it, but I didn’t feel like I belonged there any more.

“I did some shopping,” he continued before correcting himself, making Alec turn and press a kiss to his shoulder. “Okay, I did a lot of shopping - don’t give me that look, it’s not like there were any opportunity to shop in the ice desert, and if you remember, I lost everything in that fire. I couldn’t bring myself to wear thermo adaptable clothes for the rest of my life, even if my life depended on it.” Magnus shot him an exasperated look and Alec chuckled. ”Anyways, when the people from the moving company asked me where to send it to, I gave them your address.”

This took Alec by surprise as he rose up to rest on his elbow to look down on Magnus. He searched his face, a small frown forming between his eyebrows, and then he smiled. “Oh?”

“Yes. So you might receive some boxes by the end of the week.” Alec grew quiet after this, a distant look in his eyes. Then his eyes focused and found Magnus’ again, his head shaking a little from side to side as if he couldn’t quite understand the words coming from his mouth.

“Why didn’t you put Luke’s address?”.

He asked a valid question, a question that should have taken Magnus longer than 5 seconds to think about. “Because when I thought of home,” he hesitated. “I thought of you.”

With their eyes locked, deep hazel and warm brown, Magnus found courage like he never had before. He reached a hand up around Alec’s neck and pulled him down and in for a kiss. It was soft and short and it emphasized what Magnus had just said. “I like you, Alexander, and I’d very much like to be with you.”

A blinding smile spread on Alec’s face, and the creases between his eyebrows were replaced with creases around his eyes, causing Magnus’ heart to flutter with excitement. The nervous beating of his heart stilled when Alec leaned down and rested his forehead against the bridge of his nose for a short moment.

“I like you too Magnus, and I’d like to be with you too.”

Their exchange of such innocent words made them both giggle as they shifted in bed until Magnus’ chest rested against Alec’s. He ran his thumb through his scruff, let them trace the outline of his lips before leaning down to fully kiss them, eyes closing as he let himself get lost in the feeling of Alec.

 

***

 

It was quiet in the bedroom save from the faint sound of a single bird chirping in the dawning daylight and the steady breathing of Magnus’ sleeping figure sprawled across his chest. Alec had gotten little sleep, but it didn’t matter much when he thought about what had happened instead of it. Was he and Magnus really together _together_ ? The question sparked a sudden burst of happiness that caused a grin onto his face because, _yes they really were_.

They’d fallen asleep at 2 am, and as it was nearing 6 am, Alec knew it was time to get up to start the day. However he felt reluctance as he watched Magnus’ parted lips eliciting deep breaths. Careful not to wake him, Alec slipped his arm from under his sleeping body and tiptoed out of the bedroom only grabbing a pair of sweats and a sweater on his way.

Moving around his cottage like so many other mornings - lighting the fire in the fireplace, starting the coffee machine, taking a quick shower - he somehow felt lighter and happier than he ever had.

Opening the door out onto the patio overlooking a different part of the lake than the one that could be seen from his shop, he breathed in the crisp spring morning and smelled the familiar scent of pine. The sun had yet to rise, but the sky was lighting up, a faint pink, purple and blue color spreading above him, and Alec got so lost in the scenery in front of him that he didn’t hear the padding of footsteps behind him.

He felt arms circling around his waist and lips on his neck, and he gave into the feeling and the warmth of Magnus’ chest against his back. His strangely familiar scent mixed with the scent of the place Alec had called home for the past year and a half, and somehow that only made it feel even more like home. He had found a home surrounded by trees, embraced by Magnus as they watched the gradually brightening sky.

“Come back to bed,” Magnus whispered to him, teeth grazing his earlobe and causing shivers down his spine. Alec chuckled and shook his head much against his own will.

“I have to go feed the dog,” he finally turned around in Magnus’ arms and was pleased to see him wearing one of Alec’s much too tight sweaters.

“The dog? What dog?” Alec smirked as he heard Magnus’ breath hitch when he kissed a sensitive spot on his neck.

“Pod. The poodle? Mrs. Wright passed away just before New Year’s and left the dog to me. She said something about me being lonely, and Pod being the perfect companion in life,” he blabbered, suddenly feeling on edge. “He’s found himself a home in the shop, and I’ve gotten used to having him around.”

Magnus chuckled and looked past Alec to take in the scenery. The sky had begun the glow a bright yellow in the horizon just above the mountains and Alec knew it wouldn’t be long before they’d be bathed in the first light of the day.

“Bring me something when you come home after work?” Magnus asked with desperation detectable in his voice. Alec looked at him just as the sun rose above the mountains, coloring his eyes warm and golden.

“Sure,” suddenly out of breath he brushed a stray lock of hair behind his ear, tracing the edge of it with his thumb. “What would you like?”

Magnus grew quiet, his eyes focused on the rising sun for a while and then back on Alec, his eyes set in a determined expression.

“Anything,” he said. “Anything beautiful.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a final notes, please if you have comments, praise, thoughts or questions about any of the decisions I've made throughout the process of writing this, please don't hesitate to come say hi on tumblr: [alecsgideon](https://alecsgideon.tumblr.com/).  
> Alright guys, that's it! *posts chapter and goes sobbing in a corner*


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